Barcelona Flats

21-28 Dec 2009

We have really enjoyed our Christmas in Barcelona, and have been cosy and comfortable in this lovely flat. We left a snowy, very cold England a day late as our flight was cancelled and arrived to pouring rain in Barcelona but on Christmas Day the sun shone and it was magical.

La Pedrera and Park Guell are absolutely stunning and we recommend visiting them both.

Places to eat that we enjoyed were Juicy Jones (C/Hospital Metro stop Liceu). This is a vegetarian restaurant that certainly satisfied both the meat and the non-meat eaters. The set lunch menu at 8.50 euros was excellent value with three courses and a glass of wine. It does Indian and European food but was predominantly Indian the day we went.
Try Bar Ra (just down the side of La Boqueria Market) for either lunch or dinner at reasonable prices, for the quality of the food.
For mojitos, head to Rosa Negra on Via Laietana metro Jaume I....they're 3.50 euros and very good. Bar staff are friendly and they also do Mexican food upstairs.
The Moon Cafe for beer and tapas, just over the road from the flat (C/Provenca) was good if you don't want to venture too far.

We made good use of La Boqueria Market (off Las Ramblas) to cook up a Christmas feast. Everything you could possibly want to eat is here!

Absolutely love Barcelona (two of us are returning to the city for the 3rd time). We will be back and we would certainly stay at the Garden Flat again.

Many thanks.

The Guys! (T, E, H & R).
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 The apartment was excellent and perfect for our vacation. Our girls loved running up and down the hallway and the pushchair was a life saver for our 3 yr old. If we visit Barcelona again we will definitely look to stay here again. It looks like we may have taken your Narnia DVD by error, so I will post it back next week.

Thankyou for all your assistance.

M.T.
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19-22 Oct 2009
We have all had a brilliant time in Barcelona, filling our rest time in this gem of a flat- spacious & peaceful- just what we wanted to come home to after a day as tourists! Future recommendations include:

*The ´Turistic Bus´ if the weather is miserable! Only a bit on the expensive side for families of 5 as discovered (!) but all in all a fantastic rundown of the main sites of Barcelona!
*GAUDI- A must! La Sagrada Familia is well worth a trip as is Parc Guell and other buildings around Barcelona designed by Gaudi in his lifetime.
*The Picasso Museum- childern 16 or under go free and there is also a family discount! So much to be seen for so  little! Not much in the way of interactive activities for the younger kids but there are so many paintings, set out so you can see his style develop over the years.
*Las Ramblas- the food markets especially as there is so much to see (and try of course!)
*ZARA- if you have teenage girls and have a bit of time to kill!
*There is a really nice restaurant/bar off La Rambla called Dostrece- don´t be afraid to try tapas! For the less adventurous "patatas bravas" are less intimidating!
*The Basilica Santa Maria was being cleaned when we went but it has a reputation of beoing beautiful inside. The main cathedral off Las Ramblas however was almost if not equally impressive.

Many thanks for the flat! P, K, R, A, & E.I.

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Oct 15-19 2009
What a wonderful place to return to after long days of walking Barcelona: the bath was appreciated by tired bodies. We ate out but enjoyed our dinner around the dining table with fresh fish and pork from the local markets. Kitchen works well. Many bottles of wine consumed. Our daughter found this for us- she lives in Gracia- very close.

Suggestions- more pillows & a hair dryer for bathrooms. But well serviced.
Today we caught the train to Sitges for the day- lunched, swam, & wonderful day break from busy city.

p.s. found the hair dryer on the last morning in the bedroom. Silly me!!

A & J M., P.L & S.A.

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Sep 28- Oct 3 2009
We had a wonderful time in Barcelona and loved staying in your garden flat.

We bought a 2 day ticket for the tourist bus and found it a great way to see lots of Barcelona without the children getting too tired. La Boqueria Market was a real treat with so many different tastes and smells.

A beautiful flat in a beautiful city. What more could we ask?!

Many thanks

K, A, H, J, D & T, Dubline Ireland..

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Sep 21-25 2009
What a wonderful flat! So spacious, 3 couples had lots of privacy. The garden was especially a treat. Being here during Mercè was an added bonus. Enjoyed the music, dance of the giants, parade, and all the people.

Took the Bus Turistic for a great overall perspective- Barcelona is a 'large' city with so much to see. Saw the fireworks at the beach. Scooters & motorcycles & bicycles & cars - all racing down the street- fascinating to watch- glad we're not driving. Found a great grocery store down the street, turn right after the Hotel Eden- wine 2 for €3.

M & B, Ottawa, Canada..

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Sep 4-7 2009

This was the first time that any of us had been to Barcelona- and we're struggling to imagine why we've never been here before. It's a fantastic city with so much to offer and with v. friendly people.

The apartment is absolutely charming and very sensitively renovated. Coming back here after some serious sightseeing has been a real pleasure in itself.

We have really enjoyed Rachel's restaurant recommendations: Taller de Tapas, Tragaluz and Agua (a very special evening here with the full moon refelcted in the sea). Food at all of these places was superb. We also liked the Bodeguita Provença around the corner.

Our first time in Barcelona- but definitely not our last: we'll be back!

Best wishes, G.K, A & N.

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Just to let you know that as well as generally having a great time in Barcelona we especially enjoyed our stay at your flat. It’s a really beautiful place and everything there worked perfectly so we could just relax and have some fun.

We do hope to return again, preferably sooner rather than later. My only regret is that it’s not our second home!

Many thanks.

Best wishes, G.B.

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7th - 21st August 2009

We had a really good time in Barcelona & the flat was a great place to stay, only 2 buses to the beach! (17 then the 45/49)

Off La Rambla there's a really nice restaurant/bar called Dostrece. The food is wonderful.

The 'Festa La Gracia' was extremely interesting. The different streets in the area all decorate their road with a different theme. It takes place form 15th to 23rd August.
La Rambla is a place that should definitely be visited. You can find lots of interesting things in the shops.

We had a great time staying in this apartment & enjoyed the DVDs. Thanks.

K, E, S & N

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24 July - 1 Aug 2009
We have had a wonderful time in Barcelona and your flat was perfect for us (2 adults and 4 teenagers). The location is brilliant- away from the real touristy parts but still right in the centre of things. The galleria was lovely to sit in after a busy day out.

We loved Por Sant- breakfasts and 2 lunches! "Moon" went down a treat with the teenagers for their mochitas and hamburguesas.

Days out were good as the transport system is so easy to use. Went to the water park (biggest in Europe) combined ticket for entrance and train & bus travel from Plaza Catalunya.

We had 2 days out at beaches- one at Garaf just before Sitges- pretty village in the hill with a smallish beach and the other at Platja de Castelldefels with lovely big waves and Ronaldinho happened to be there kicking a football around with his friends and family- no kidding!!

Will definitlely come back to Barcelona- the people are so friendly and helpful and there is something for everyone, and the flat was lovely- Thankyou!

L, K, E, P, S & M.

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17-24th July 2009
A beautiful flat with plenty of room for our various ages to find their own space! The garden is a bonus in the hot weather this week- 33 degrees + - and a great place to chill out at the end of the day.

We have all enjoyed the proximity of the Gaudi and Picasso museums while the 2 boys - 8 and 14- voted Port Adventura (1.5 hours by train) and the football stadium their favourite visits!

Thankyou very much- we has a super holiday!

Best wishes, S.F, Banbridge N. Ireland.

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9th-11th July 2009
Wonderful position and ambience to the flat. The location is excellent for shopping and the sights. We especially enjoyed watching the Tour de France from the rof tops of Pedrera.

Must recommend the food at Sucoa (Enric Granados). And sheltered from the rain in Cerveseria de Catalunya (Mallorca)- great tapas choice, heaving but friendly staff.

Bar on the corner of Balmes & Provenca (Por Sant) is good for basic coffee, baguette or croissant.

Tried to get into La Gresca restaurant but you need a couple of days to book in advance. (Bistronomics restaurant €45 tasting menu which looked delectable from afar!). 230 Provenca, turn right from flat, turn left & cross over road..2 blocks).

S, M, H & D.

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