Barcelona Apartments

Old Feb 4th, 2015, 03:05 PM
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Barcelona Apartments

Not to be confused with my Costa Brava post . . . 1st timers to Barcelona. Family of 4 (teens 16 & 13). Mid-July 5 days; heading to Begur for a week afterwards.

Would like to be well located to restaurants/markets and some sites and good transportation to the others. Reasonably quiet at night would be good as we aren't night owls.

El Born sounds up our alley but I can't tell for sure. Others have mentioned/liked Eixample. I've read a lot of the posts here to try to get up to speed. There are a zillion rentals.

I've started "conversing" with www.likelivingthere.com. The first 2 suggestions were

http://likelivingthere.com/Documents...%20bedroom.pdf

and

http://likelivingthere.com/Documents...ome%20base.pdf

there seem to be other options within those 2 buildings as well.

Another popular option I've seen mentioned is Habitat's: http://tinyurl.com/mckjckd

Any comments on the location of these? Pros/cons?

thanks for your help
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 03:17 PM
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We rented from Habitat several years ago( twice) ..worked out well.
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 03:37 PM
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Thoughts on the locations, danon? I know you've been to both areas (and then some). Thanks.
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 04:51 PM
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The first one is in a very busy location especially at night
...Laietana is a pedestrian street, many bars and restaurants right there

second , more quiet area in Eixample , close to elegant Paseo de Gracia and Gaudi buildings
....a very different feel than hopping El Born

third, I stayed in the Princesa building about six years ago...the building is still in Born,
but just a bit less exposed to crowds than no.1
( the apt. I stayed in was in a need of some updating)

Born is closer to the beach , narrow streets, crowds, hip..( the kids might prefer the " young" feel)
Eixample is more " grown up", wide boulevards, elegant shops and cafés
more quiet at night( but, not at all dead).
From either area, you will still have to take public transit to see certain sites.
Public transit is excellent and inexpensive.

We ( or when I travel alone) prefer Eixample, but we are well passed 50 !
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 05:03 PM
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thanks!
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 05:08 PM
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P.s.
When you are reasonable sure about the apt you wish to rent, ask them the exact address
Then, google the street view to get an idea of the building and surroundings.
I do it with hotel locations...
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Old Feb 4th, 2015, 07:16 PM
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Sorry, Laietana is not pedestrian, but the small street just off( where apt. Is
is pedestrian)
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 12:13 AM
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Hi indi

We stayed in that first apartment on your list for 4 days last September, and absolutely loved it! The location is very central; most days we walked to whatever we wanted to see.

The pictures are exactly as the apartment is in reality, and the manager is on site for part of each day if there are any problems. The only time we needed her was when the electric jug failed, and this was replaced immediately.

There was some street noise during the day, but not enough to be a problem at night for us. It was lovely to be able to look down on the passing parade of people, and the music from the entertainers at the outdoor cafes was an added bonus.

The only difficulty we had on arrival was actually locating the street entrance (walked past twice before we found it), because the street numbers don't follow a logical sequence. We had checked the location on google maps and knew where in the street it should be - the doorway is slightly recessed and the sign you are told to look for is fairly small.

We also rented through likelivingthere, and found them very professional - definitely the best we've dealt with for apartments anywhere in Europe. Next time I'd just go with them rather than chase around so many other options. He also has a great blog that's worth studying for hints of what to see etc.

If you click on my name you can see our report for that trip.

Barcelona is now one of our favourite European cities! Di
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 04:50 AM
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I almost always stay in medieval El Born/La Ribera when in Barcelona because of the vibrant atmosphere, the many excellent tapas bars, cafes and restaurants, the good-spirited nighlife and the proximity to "everything". In the midst of El Born you'll find the 13th Century Santa Maria del Mar Church, one of the finest Gothic buildings around today, the Picasso museum and the oldest market in town, Mercat del Born which recently reopened as a Catalan culture center. El Born holds a very special position for Catalan Identity. Fairly close to the world class Boqueria food market and very close to the popular Santa Caterina food market. Excellent shopping for those interested. Going to stay here again in a few weeks.
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...s/el-born.html
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/Engl...U823i64ytyOOq4
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 07:15 AM
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Kimhe,
We stopped at the Catalan CC in May ..
I was curious to see what was done ( after years of renovations ) with the beautiful market.
At that time, there was not really that much on display for tourists to view
Of course, it is a venue for the locals and their cultural heritage.
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 07:23 AM
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There is an enormous short-term apartment market in Barcelona. The website for the consortium that the renters belong to (a bit of quality assurance) is www.apartur.com.

We used Barcelona Stuff and they were very good.

If Barcelona is your last stop in the Eurozone, look for a place that does NOT require a cash deposit - you don't need to have 300E put in your hands the day you leave.
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 07:28 AM
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I'll visit the CC next month, and hopefully more is in place now: http://www.mercatdelborn.org/en/el-b...ltural-center/
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 09:00 AM
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Going back to your other post the same laws about property rental numbers still applies.
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Old Feb 5th, 2015, 05:31 PM
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Appreciate the comments. Will probably go with one of the LikeLivingThere El Born apartments.
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