Airbnb Review - Barcelona

A lot of people have asked me for more details about the place we stayed at in Barcelona after I shared two photo collages in my Instagram and FB. So I thought of posting this review to paint you a better picture of how this Airbnb apartment looked like, or at least how we experienced it.  

If you haven't heard about Airbnb yet, it's a website where you can book unique apartments or houses on your holiday or vacation. It's a great alternative to the usual hotels and hostels in the big cities if you're looking for a more homey place. Now I wouldn't necessarily say this option is cheaper because there are cheaper hostels too if you look hard enough and if you weigh in other factors such as transportation and breakfast inclusion.

Because we moved from city to city with varying purpose, we didn't book with Airbnb for the entire duration of our trip. Our accommodations in Spain were a combination of Airbnb-Hotel-Hostel-Camp bookings. Again, it will all depend on the purpose and the level of relaxation or sight-seeing you plan to do on your holiday. In Granada for example, we wanted to just slow down and get comfy
especially when the sun got too warm for sight-seeing. Since we saved a good bit from our Barcelona accommodation, we splurged in this lovely hotel. Meanwhile, Madrid was a mission trip so we spent most days/nights in the camp and another two nights in this hostel. Barcelona trip was all about sight-seeing practically until nighttime so an Airbnb booking suited us fine.

It was our first time to book with Airbnb and thankfully, the whole experience was memorable and pleasant for us.  If it were a que horror experience, I wouldn't bother at all to blog about it. I think the most important thing of all was that we got the value of what we paid for, if not even more.

So here are more photos (mostly from iP5 so forgive the quality) and info of this Pinterest-ing apartment.

First is the room. It's bright and super clean, the most important quality we look for in any place, not to mention dainty. :) Outside the glass door is a terrace which houses a number of tropical plants which made us feel presko and relaxed. You'll also experience the vibe of a Spanish neighbourhood when you lounge in the terrace.

Here's the living room and the hallway decorated with various paintings and artwork. The host's room is located beside that window to the left. The guest room is practically on the other end of the apartment. Your privacy shouldn't be a concern.

Our lovely host, Persita, prepared the most delicious Spanish breakfast. I think it's called torta patata, an omelet with potatoes inside. She also toasted bread with olive and tomato which I thought was a Spanish thing to do but we tried it anyway and it was delicious! She also brewed a great-tasting coffee every single morning. On top of this, she offered us bread, cheese, jams and juices. So the breakfast alone made our stay so sulit! We ate everything and we didn't go hungry until about later in the afternoon. :)

A snapshot of the kitchen:

On our third night in Barcelona, we decided to go home earlier than usual because we came from Costa Brava and were so exhausted. We ate dinner in the apartment (the pizza leftover from our lunch in Costa Brava) and our lovely hostess gave us sodas and melon and prepared the table in the veranda for us.

I think what we were most grateful for with our Airbnb experience was meeting Persita. She was a lovely and helpful hostess! Even with a broken English, she did everything she could to help us move about in Barcelona, sign language and all. She even lent us a map and scribbled our location and the bus numbers that we could catch to and from every tourist spot. I'd give her a 10 out of 10 for being the kindest hostess! And because we loved Persita, we gave her something to remember us: :)

Here are more info for you so you can weigh the pros and cons of this type of accommodation:

• Cost: €45/night or €22.50/person for a private double room with a private bathroom
• Breakfast inclusion: Surprisingly yes (I thought it wasn't)
• Other amenities: Free use of washing machine (yes, free! our hostess even hung our clothes and folded them for us), free drinking water and sodas, use of towels, free map and city guide.
• Distance to city centre: 15-20 minutes.
• Transportation: Bus is the most convenient. It's only a 2-minute walk to the bus stop when you are going to the city centre. But you have to take note that in Spain, most streets are one-way. Going back to the apartment, you'll get off in an entirely different street and have to bear a 10-minute walk. Metro is another option which is 10 to 15 minutes walking distance.
• There's an additional cleaning fee of €20 upon booking.
• Wifi is free but slow.
• Persita is not very conversant in English so you'll have to learn at least a broken Spanish so you can communicate. We utilised Google Translate to help us out. 
• Persita owns a jovial and a cuddly cat named Simba (photo below). If you are not a cat-lover, this apartment may not be for you because this cat will be all over you each time you come back to the apartment. He also makes himself comfy in the bed, in the chair and even on your feet, perhaps to keep you company. 
• Lastly with Airbnbs, owners/hosts are mostly in the apartment too during your stay. It didn't really bother us, but for others it may.

Well, that's about it. I hope I've given enough info and may you enjoy your travels, wherever it may be. :)