MH Apartments Gracia

We enjoyed our stay despite the problems, but probably wouldn’t come back. The apartment’s size and location for the price bring it up to three stars for me. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms for less than a hotel, and ours was fine despite complaints about the rooms’ age and condition. The location was great, with lots of places within walking distance. Despite the “tourist go home” graffiti, everyone was friendly and the area felt nice. The balcony view was good. The kitchen had plenty of useful things, including coffee machines, toasters, a kettle, microwave and washing machine. The shower had strong pressure and very hot water. Getting in was frustrating. There was no welcome pack or instructions, so it was hard to find, and the slow touchscreen check-in machine made us enter the same address for each guest. Although we’d paid in advance, we had to pay another 82 euros to get the keys. We never found out what it was for, and the invoice only said “room.” On a warm evening, the aircon made a loud rattling noise in the bathroom like a train, but no air came out. The washing machine leaked, so we had to mop up the kitchen. There seemed to be no soundproofing, and our neighbors drank until 4 am one night. Taxis didn’t like the narrow streets and often complained while dropping us nearby. Free WiFi was so unreliable it was basically unusable.

The apartment itself was satisfactory, but the experience felt more like checking into a hotel than staying in a homey Airbnb. It was owned by a corporation rather than an individual host, so it lacked the personal touch I usually appreciate. Check-in involved registering at a computer kiosk, which felt impersonal and dehumanizing, with nobody there to welcome us.

This is one of the more affordable places in Barcelona. The neighborhood seemed nice, with narrow streets and plenty of restaurants, and Parc Guell is about a 20-minute walk away. The building has “Tourists, go home” vandalism on it, though. The beds were comfortable and the room spacious. They replied quickly by email, and after I asked about parking a month before the trip, they took the initiative to follow up as our arrival got closer. There were some hassles. Self check-in was confusing, and we had to clarify that the quoted price included tourist tax. When some of our companions left a day early, we had to email to get a refund. There was only one bathroom for the whole apartment. The room art was dusty enough to trigger allergies. We came back to find a leak from the upstairs unit’s bathroom, which they fixed the next day. I’m not sure our bathroom was cleaned after the plumbing work, and communication about it could’ve been better. They did offer the bathroom in an unoccupied unit.

Being in the Gracia area, where the locals live, was the best part. Everything around us was fantastic, from the corner bar where we could grab a beer to places selling empanadas. It felt fairly safe to walk around, and it was well worth the money. They met us promptly, and the apartment was almost what we’d requested. We asked for three bedrooms but got two, with a sleeper sofa in the living area. The kitchen was good, and the washer let us freshen up some things before the cruise. There were small balconies off the living room and main bedroom. It wasn’t very quiet, since people gathered in the square right outside until about 3 am.