Barcelona - AirBnB or VRBO

Looking to stay 6 days starting Good Friday 2017. Like the idea of BnB or VRBO, or Bed & Breakfast, but afraid to be in another country, getting a dud and not being able to figure out new options!

Does anyone have a specific unit or apartment, or owner, that they trust? I know people who use both and are always happy, but I've read horror stories also.

I've been checking out hotels also, and am getting overwhelmed. All sounds good and then BAM a crappy review or more. Small I don't mind. But I do want clean, no bugs :eek:, and I'd like to not hear my neighbor thru the wall (to the point of hearing entire conversations, etc.)

Looking forward to the trip - Epic TA from Port Canaveral.

Looking to stay 6 days starting Good Friday 2017. Like the idea of BnB or VRBO, or Bed & Breakfast, but afraid to be in another country, getting a dud and not being able to figure out new options!

 

Does anyone have a specific unit or apartment, or owner, that they trust? I know people who use both and are always happy, but I've read horror stories also.

 

I've been checking out hotels also, and am getting overwhelmed. All sounds good and then BAM a crappy review or more. Small I don't mind. But I do want clean, no bugs :eek:, and I'd like to not hear my neighbor thru the wall (to the point of hearing entire conversations, etc.)

 

Looking forward to the trip - Epic TA from Port Canaveral.

I've rented apartments throughout Europe for 35 years, never have gotten a dud. They're always as depicted in pictures and descriptions. Prior to the Internet you used catalog companies, today booking apartments is much easier. I use most frequently Homeaway, and VRBO was acquired by Homeaway about 10 years ago, so you'll find the same rentals on either site. Homeaway also guarantees their listings. I also used Booking dot com, very easy booking and you can of course book hotels as well through that site, similar to Hotels dot com. You can check Trip Advisor as well, go to their vacation rentals page for Barcelona. On all these, there's guest reviews, just read through them and decide.

We have booked houses and apartments in lots of different countries, even in places where we don't speak the language!

We have never had any problems either. I always ensure I build up a rapport with the owner and want address and landline telephone number. Pay with a CC for extra protection.

We have used various companies like Owners Direct, Holiday Lettings, Gites de France etc.

If you take all normal precautions when renting a property there shouldn't be a problem.

Alternatively, book one of the hotels recommended on here. Last time in Barcelona we stayed in the Hotel Pulitzer, just off the Plaza Catalunya. Nice hotel and very central.

I've had some, a house in Brugges, Belgium and a house in Tarifa, Portugal that agreed to cash on arrival. Also had an apartment in Kaprun, Austria that we never even saw the owners, they left the apartment unlocked with keys on the kitchen table and an envelope asking us to leave payment when we left! Now that's an honor system!

Meant Tavira, Portugal....Tarifa is in Spain.

Yes, we have had some very good experiences too.

A trullo in Puglia where we paid when we got there. The owner came to greet us with a couple of bottles of local wine and another day I told him I'd forgotten to buy oil to cook our meal and it was Sunday. Got back to find a bottle of olive oil and more wine.

Quite a few places where we have only paid a deposit and the remainder on arrival.

In Provence where we were invited to a get together with the owners and some other guests for home made nibbles and copious amounts of wine.

In France where the owner invited my partner back any time to stay FOC as they had a common interest in WWII history.

In so many places we have been left various local food produce and wine/liqueurs etc.

As long as you research properly it can be a great way to holiday. Having said that, in a city I normally stay in a hotel. If not staying with friends.

Thanks everyone. I have 2 emails into apartments to get more info. I believe they are both the same owner too.

Be careful with Airbnb! I booked three times for apartments in Barcelona. Each time I was accepted, than refused! I found out that they wanted more money because of the time of year. Airbnb took no responsibility other than refunding the money. Just know that you could be refused at any time!

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Be careful with Airbnb! Sometimes you could be refused after you paid them. It was not a good experience!

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We are in Barcelona now and have rented an Airbnb. It's not awful but I wouldn't rent it again. We booked last minute and I should have done more homework and asked more questions. So just be sure you check things out.

Things I wished I had known more about:

The neighborhood - BCN is a big city and somewhat gritty in parts with LOTS of graffiti. We were quite taken aback to learn that our apartment was ground level and that we had a roll down steel door as part of our entry.

Very little light in apartment which I should have assessed from pictures

Details like musty smell, a/c that doesn't work, no door on bathroom, etc.

And remember that you often cannot check in until later in the day.

lovestx... where's that about?

We are in Barcelona now and have rented an Airbnb. It's not awful but I wouldn't rent it again. We booked last minute and I should have done more homework and asked more questions. So just be sure you check things out.

 

Things I wished I had known more about:

 

The neighborhood - BCN is a big city and somewhat gritty in parts with LOTS of graffiti. We were quite taken aback to learn that our apartment was ground level and that we had a roll down steel door as part of our entry.

 

Very little light in apartment which I should have assessed from pictures

 

Details like musty smell, a/c that doesn't work, no door on bathroom, etc.

 

And remember that you often cannot check in until later in the day.

Yes, probably should have done some better homework regarding location, not the fault of the apartment, it is where it is, and on the renter to determine if it's an area of town you want to be in. Musty smell, broken a/c and no bathroom door isn't good though. Was it cheap in price?

Always read through descriptions and closely view pictures. One thing is common with European rentals is there's not always a lift, so inquire about that if you can't do stairs. Also don't assume things like a terrace in the description being private, some are shared, unless it specifically states it's private. For a/c, if it doesn't say it has it, it probably doesn't, but ask. If the bedding set up (bed sizes and number per room.) isn't clear, ask. Also European rentals can be described as a "3 room apartment that sleeps 4-6" for example. 3 rooms doesn't necessarily mean 3 bedrooms, usually it's 2 bedrooms and they're including the living room as the 3rd room.. The number it sleeps as 4-6 means 4 in bedrooms with the addl 2 sleeping spots in the living room, loft or some other less private area of the rental. You get used to knowing what questions to ask.

Enric, we are in El Raval.

And, rustybuttons, you give good advice. I am usually a detailed planner but when our plans changed at the last minute (a niece decided to join us so we needed a bigger place), I jumped too soon. And it's costing us about $375 a night. Think that's considered reasonable for three beds and baths but should have paid more.

There's a post in TA right now asking about particular rentals and I can see on some some red flags like no windows, curtains instead of doors, etc. lesson learned.

Ah, I thought so... and that partially explains it.

Unless you're on the upper side of Raval, closer to Sant Antoni, the rest of the neighbourhood is still rather run down. El Raval has historically always been one of the poorest parts of the city since the Middle Ages.

During the late 90s, the neighbourhood was revamped widening some streets and creating new squares, and some new buildings were erected (hotels, government buildings...) so it got a bit better. Also, drugs and prostitution were pushed out -albeit there's still a small pocket around Carrer Sant Ramon and Carrer Cadenes -that's considered the Red Light District. Yet it remains a poor area with many buildings that are in need of restoration. The seediest part is located in the streets to the south of El Raval. The population of El Raval is 47% foreign, mostly made of North and Central African migrants as well Middle Easterners and some Filipinos.

But El Raval though has quite a few landmarks worth visiting:

• The former Knight's Templar hospital of La Santa Creu (The Holy Cross), which these days is occupied by the National Library of Catalonia and the famous Massana Design School, a European reference in the field,
  
• One of the oldest monasteries of Barcelona, Sant Pau del Camp, dating from the 9th or 10th century,
  
• The former Royal Shipyard, Les Drassanes, now a museum -noting that the Catalano-Aragonese Crown had been a Medieval maritime power in the Mediterranean for several centuries and many of the most famous ships of the era were built here, like the royal galley Juan de Austria, that commanded the Christian armies during famous victory against the Turks at the battle of Lepanto, where Cervantes -author of Don Quixote- lost his arm,
  
• Palau de la Virreina, a neoclassicist 17th century small palace built by a former Viceroy of Peru to his wife upon his return from the Americas, now the headquarters of the city council's Culture Institute, which offers temporary art exhibitions
  
• The convents of Santa Mònica and Els Angels, both from the 16th and 17th centuries which these days are also exhibition centres,
  
• La Reial Acadèmia de Medicina de Catalunya (The Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia), created in the 18th century, it hosts a small yet spectacular neoclassical anatomical amphitheater intended for the training of surgeons of the time
  
• The church of Bethlehem, a baroque church located on the upper side of Les Rambles,
  
• At different sites in el Raval, one can see remains of the medieval walls and towers of the city, both the second wall, located near Les Rambles as well as the third wall located near El Paral·lel.
  
• The MACBA and the CCCB, of course! These two museums are key landmarks for art lovers.
  

And technically speaking, at or near Les Rambles, the Grand Opera Theatre of El Liceu, the Palau Güell and the Boqueria Market, all of them very visited by locals and tourists alike, are also in El Raval. The neighbourhood begins and stretches across to Paral·lel Avenue.

Yet the neighbourhood remains a trendy yet caddish area full of small restaurants and bars that get quite busy on Fri and Sat evenings. To me, it's an area worth exploring and getting lost in, good for going out for a drink, but not necessarily an area to stay in during your visit to Barcelona.

Having said all this, note that in the area there are also the odd luxurious apartments for rent that have been revamped lately... but as in everything else, when you find an apartment in Airbnb or any other site that's too cheap to be true, it's probably not it :)

Enjoy

.

Btw, $375 a night in El Raval with all the shortcomings you mention I personally think it's a rip-off, but that's my personal view, of course.

El Raval sadly suffers one of those embarrassing hypocritical issues of many Western societies: the poorest migrants get "socially profiled" so to speak and many owners refuse to rent to them, mostly in fear of not getting paid every month. We have a rather peculiar set of laws regarding evictions which, in principle, are designed to give some security to people unable to keep up with payments. And while there are many evictions executed day in day out, still many owners find it a long and very tedious, expensive and cumbersome process to evict someone who doesn't pay the rent for months on end. Thus, not finding elsewhere to rent many end up in run-down areas where some SOBs take advantage by charging unfair rents for housing. While there are social programs run by the City Hall and the Catalan government to minimize this, it's clearly still not enough, more over taking into account that Catalonia has received over a million and half migrants in the last 20 years.... and the total population of Catalonia is just 7.5 million! Hey, yet I can proudly say that, in general, there are no coexistence problems whatsoever! The problem with rents has more recently been increased when the lower middle classes have been hit hard by the financial crisis and defaults have increased the number of evictions.

Thanks, Enric, for the enlightening and interesting posts. We are on Carrer de la Reina Amalia so between sant Antoni and Para Lel. And I'm glad you think we've been ripped off as I think we have been. I will be much more careful in the future.

With that said, we do enjoy the liveliness of the area and have had a couple of fabulous meals at Cera 23 and a good one at Arume last night. We sat at the window table last night and got a kick out of the wide variety of ethnic groups and ages and shapes of the locals and tourists who paraded outside our window. It is clear that there is a large immigrant population in the area but all seem to be trying to make a go of it in Barcelona.

And your comments about the eviction process, landlords, etc. are very interesting. On our tapas tour last week, our guide talked about the challenge of finding places to live and the impact that Airbnb apartments have on that. We happened to be on the tour with a couple from Vancouver, and they noted how difficult their housing situation is now that so many foreign investors have snatched up properties to move money out of their own countries but then leave the apartments and houses empty. All very interesting to me.

We now say goodbye to Barcelona today....thanks for all of your helpful advice on the TA forum and this one.

Glad you enjoyed your stay -despite the issue with the apt. Too bad the weather these last days hasn't been as sunny as it normally is...

Interestingly, we also have the same problem in Barcelona with investors purchasing flats for speculating -or to be more neutral: as an investment :)

Although that happens all over the city, there are areas in which this is more pressing, such as Vila Olímpica or the area around Diagonal Mar, to the right of the map. The later is easily distinguishable because it's the only part of town where tall buildings are allowed and it's located at the edge of the city. The first area, Vila Olimpica, was an area full of old workshops and factories and a bit of housing that has been revamped these past 20 years to be turned into a modern neighbourhood with plenty of office buildings (not tall, though, thank God!) and even several clusters, such as the one formed by the hi-tech and the biomedicine companies are there.

Although indeed Airbnb and the lot are causing a dent in the market, I wouldn't trust some news though that portray it as being 'such a huge problem' because at the end of the day, the so-called "tourist apartments" are a drop in the ocean in the real estate market here in Barcelona.

Has anyone stayed at Umma Bed and Breakfast?

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