I'm thinking of renting an apartment in Barcelona for 3 nights in April. I'm travelling with my parents and my child and it's cheaper than two cheap hotel rooms and it's about the same as a cheap quad room. I don't want to sleep in the same room with my parents so I thought this would be a better option. Someone here mentioned that this could be a hassle. What do I need to know before I book this place? And has anyone here used www.gobcn.com?

topping

You could try checking slowtrav.com to see if the co. or the apt. has any reviews there. In terms of other basic issues, you should understand the cancellation policy, be ok with it and with however deposits are required. I assume you've researched the area/location of the apt. and think it's where you want to be. Have a clear understanding of what is and is not included (ie linens, cooking equip. etc.)

Other potential hassles would include how you get the key, whether you will be able to manage without a front desk/concierge etc. There may be a checklist of this sort on slowtrav.com Good luck!

I rarely see real apartments that will rent for under a week minimum, or if they do, I usually wonder what's wrong with them that they can do that. Fully cleaning a full apartment for each two or three day stay costs somewhat a lot of money -- and guess who is paying. In fact, usually when I do see an apartment that will rent for only 3 days, the price seems high compared to similar quality hotels.

Still, Patrick, exceptions do exist - - we were very pleased with our (three-day minimum) apartment choice(s) for Prague - - in May 2003; we booked through athos.cz

So, asking others abotu their experience(s)_ with gobcn.com is a good idea.

Indeed, <i><b>mentioning</b></i> Barcelona when you (?re)-post this question would be an excellent idea.

It's not your fault, redhead, that fodors makes so little effort to help you find its &quot;HELP&quot; (tiny liitle red letters in the upperlefthand corner( where its FAQ number 6 reminds you to mention the destination(s) if applicable when posting any new question.

I'd urge you to re-post.

Best wishes,

Rex

If you are considering an apartment, I think the best you can do is ask the landlord or rental company for a reference to e-mail a recent renter in the same position you are (for example American, two couples or a family) and ask the reference the hard questions.

I made the following list of questions for renting an apartment in Paris with my husband and my parents last year. I think the biggest problem is not that the apartment would be awful, but that your expectations were simply different. Realistic expectations are probably most important. (And our apartment in Paris was a huge success! My husband and I had been to Paris twice before, in hotels, but the apartment was great for our different needs as travelers and for being together as a family)

QUESTIONS FOR REFERENCES OF APARTMENTS

How did you find out about the apartment?

How was the general location?

was it convenient? to metro? to grocery, caf&eacute;, sightseeing?

was is reasonably quiet?

How was access to apartment?

how did you arrange to get in when you arrived?

how was security?

How was overall cleanliness?

How was overall quality?

Tell me about the amenities

kitchen?

bath?

beds?

linens?

appliances?

fresh air? air conditioning?

How as the overall service?

how easy was it to use the appliances?

who was available for any problems?

any trouble with the return of security deposit?

WOULD YOU THINK [4 ADULTS or whoever you are] WOULD BE COMFORTABLE FOR A WEEK?

WOULD YOU RENT THIS APARTMENT AGAIN?

Rex, thank you for the tip about mentioning the city in the subject line. I thought of that after I posted but there's no &quot;edit&quot; option here.

Patrick, there are many apartments out there with a three night minimum. I do pay a cleaning fee of 30E and with that included the 2 BR apartment comes to 115E per night.

Laurie Ann, thanks for that list. It's very helpful. I will email the rental company with some more questions. So far they're been very prompt with answering my email and this particular apartment doesn't require a deposit. Which sounds a little strange. But I suppose they'll have my credit card number if there are any damages to be paid. Our expectations aren't really that high. We just want a clean and safe place to sleep.

I would be surprised and disappointed if a landlord would release the email address of any prior tennants. My impression is that the landlords would view this as an imposition on the prior tenants.

How much do you reimburse people for their time responding to your interrogatories?

I think McLaurie gave a very good summary of the main issues. I don't know the apt. rental situation in Barcelona, so maybe short-term rentals are more of a bargain there than some other cities, where I do agree with Patrick, the rates are usually as high or more than a mid-range hotel.

I wouldn't expect an agency to give you personal addresses or contacts of prior renters, although it's possible they ask people if they will allow their name and address to be given out for a reference. I wouldn't personally let an agency do that with mine and wouldn't answer those kind of questions for lots of people due to the time issue, either, so I wouldn't be surprised if they wouldn't give you one.

Most short-term rentals I've seen operate like hotels whatever they call themselves. It's the same thing with apart-hotel chains like Citadines, Orion, etc. It's really just a hotel with a kitchenette and you don't give a deposit because you wouldn't in a hotel, either.

That website looks pretty good -- a lot are apart/hotels, but they seem to have a lot of modern apartments in new buildings that perhaps were meant to be investments like this. It sounds like a good idea for you.

However, the web site does say a deposit is required -- 150 euro when you arrive -- and of course there are the problems of large prepayments and complete payment on arrival before you stay there. Those are typical of apartment rentals, though, that are not apart/hotels. YOu might want to see about travel insurance, although for three nights it's not as major an investment.

Hi redhead. We rented a great 3 bed. apt. in Barcelona in Sept. for 3 nights. We were two couples. Had 3 bedrooms/2 baths and a small terrace off one bedroom and another off the l.r. It was 445 euros for the three nights and it was the Terrace Apt. rented through Apartmentsapart.com
It was an excellent location right at the Placa Urquinaona, less than a 5 min walk to Placa Catalunya. We walked with our luggage to Pl. C. to get the airport bus. It was on a very quiet side street so no noise. Let me know if you need more info. Canuck

I guess I just like to invest in the &quot;pay it forward&quot; system on which I think the universe must run or it would have fallen apart long ago. I am happy to take a few moments in my schedule to give someone else a better experience, especially when it comes to travel, if I can be helpful. It's one of the reasons I like to participate in Fodors talk. I answer many more questions than I post. I figure that earns me &quot;points&quot; with another stranger the next time I want to know something. Lets keep it going.

Christina, yes the website does say a 150E deposit is required, but the person I've been emailing says that there is no deposit for this particualar apartment as the landlord doesn't require one. They just have to put that there to cover the ones that do require it. And I've got the travel insurance covered!

So I booked it! The person I was emailing was very helpful and prompt with responses so I got a pretty good feeling about it, so I just did it!

It will be 345E for three nights. Pretty good!

Thank you for all the help! I've learned so much just hanging around here for a couple weeks!

There are two schools of thought - those that don't like the idea of renting apartments think it must be a big hassle, and those who do rent apartments think just the opposite - that having the extra space and a kitchen means far less hassle than a hotel.

I do both - but usually try to rent flats in major cities because they tend to be a little cheaper. I've never had any sort of hassle about getting keys, etc.

And I have stayed in MANY apartments - probably 20 or more - that rent for less than 7 days. Some have a 3 night minimum, and some by the night. I find this more common in the major cities - most country cottages/villas do went by the week, but the vast majority of city apartments I've used do rent for shorter periods.

I don't find that a reflection of the quality of the place -

All I do is read VERY carefully all the booking/deposit rules, check the address for location/convenience to transport and sites, and look at the photos on-line.

Sometimes I think people just fret too much about every tiny little detail - what did you do before the internet when everything was rented sight unseen? At least now you have on-line maps, apt. web sites, etc.

redhead: Didn't realize you had posted again while I was reading the thread. You've probably made a fine choice.

Agree with Janis on all points. I also look for good feedback on the rental agency before booking. Have a great trip, redhead, and let us know how you liked the apt when you get back.

Has anyone heard of Decimonico Apartments in Barcelonia. It is near the Picassco Museum.

Thanks,

mary