Gracia

We did eventually get our deposit back thanks to Booking.com's customer service, but I want other travelers to know what happened. The owners refused to return the security deposit and made up reasons to keep it. I strongly advise against renting this Barcelona apartment. Don't book it. The landlords are fraudsters acting maliciously.

The apartment is extremely old and badly needs renovation, and the value for money is awful. On top of that, they kept our deposit at the end, claiming we had committed offenses and been excessively loud several times. That accusation is completely untrue. They said the apartment had received a penalty, but when we asked to see the bill, they ignored us and stopped replying. These are scammers. Stay away from this accommodation and save yourself the deposit and the headache.

We paid €1043 for three nights and left very disappointed. The bathroom sink was clogged, and there were dead insects on the floor. We also found dirt under the sofa bed, which was missing a slat and had one broken, as well as on the dishes and mattresses. The place felt unsafe as well as dirty. Neither of the two French doors would close or lock, so anyone could come in from outside. We couldn't leave our bags in the apartment.

The duvets were in terrible shape, and the covers clearly hadn't been freshly washed. They'd been turned inside out, with stains, dirt, and loads of hair, including pubic hair, underneath. The apartment itself was advertised with a pool, but the photos on My Space Barcelona's site didn't match what we found. We were moved here after complaining about the place we'd booked, Apartments in Barcelona near Park Güell (Carrer de Ballester 34). That apartment had a urine-soaked mattress, pillows with yellow and brown stains, bathroom mold, a dirty oven and utensils, and worn furniture. After a lot of back and forth, MySpace Barcelona offered this one, saying it was newer and had no cleanliness problems. My photos show otherwise. There were problems throughout: worn furniture, a dirty oven tray and greasy utensils, a soiled extractor fan, and an oven that didn't work. The air conditioning was broken and only heated, not cooled, and its ducts were dirty. Both bathrooms had mold and mildewed shower curtains. Sockets, switches, doors, frames, and walls were smeared and dirty, with a sticky yellow-brown layer on the window and door frames. The beds were cheap bed frames rather than proper beds. One bedroom had a broken light, a dirty side table with dust and sticky glass rings, and a dirty bed frame. Closets in every bedroom were dusty. The ground-floor blind was broken, and although they promised to repair it, they never did. The sofa must once have been white, but was now yellow-brown. Lights were dirty, and advertised decor like blankets, cushions, and houseplants was missing. There were even leftover Advent and Christmas decorations on the stairs and entrance wall, despite our September stay. The kitchen and furniture weren't the only issues. The price was over €250 a night for a filthy, run-down apartment, with terrible service and communication. The listing's photos and description bore little resemblance to reality. We booked through Expedia, with atraveo as intermediary; the alleged host was CDE B. 30, S.L., and we ended up at MySpace Barcelona. The host also uses the names Apartment Barcelona Rentals and Barcino Inversions. At www.apartamentoporhoras.com, he rents properties by the hour for “private and personal moments.” I've also written about the place we originally booked. For more about the business practices and apartment conditions, there are reviews on Booking.com for My Space Barcelona Executive Apartments Center – Sarria St. Gervasi, and on TripAdvisor for Sarria Sant Gervasi Area My Space – Carrer Prats de Mollo 12-20. Google Maps reflects the reality at Bonanova Apartments (Paseo de la Bonanova 10, 08021 Barcelona – www.google.gl/maps/7CiXvVnJXhy). As for the very good Google Maps reviews, don't believe the likes. I found what appeared to be fake reviews by searching a few sentences online. I've written about this provider's practices, the apartments, and those reviews in my reviews of My Space Barcelona Apartments Rentals & Apartments Barcelona Rentals (Carrer de Prats de Mollo 14), Apartments in Barcelona near Park Güell (Carrer de Ballester 34), and Pool Garden Apartments. If you doubt any of this, I'm happy to provide evidence.