Top Tips About Apartment Rental in Barcelona
- Interview with An Apartment Specialist
I caught up
with an apartment rental specialist, recently for a working lunch with the aim of gleaning some
top tips on how to go about renting a holiday apartment in Barcelona.
Barcelona
Apartment Interview Transcript
John
Hi Andrea thanks for taking the time for this interview. I just
wanted to start out by asking what you think is important in running
a successful apartment rental agency in Barcelona?
Andrea
I think it is very important to be honest and up front with the
clients. To give them all the scoops of the apartment whether it's
an apartment on the fourth floor without a lift or whether the apartment
is small or large – to give accurate information to ensure
they know exactly what they are paying for.
John
Many people coming to Barcelona for the first time don't know the
different areas and neighbourhoods. Barcelona has lots of different types
of Barrios or neighbourhoods, and each one has its own very different
characteristics. The Eixample Barrio is very different from Barri
Gotic Barrio which is again different from Barceloneta Barrio. I
imagine when people are visiting a new city like this they don't
have a clear picture of what these areas are like. Whereas, someone
who knows the apartments and knows the areas can very quickly recommend
what they want.
Andrea
Yes that's right, if someone really likes architecture or historical
arts then the Barri Gotic is the area. Alternatively, if you're
coming as a family and you want a little beach and a little of the
city, I think Barceloneta is the preferred area. It's the area that
I would recommend for families. You can get small apartments in
this area but still you are not going to spend much time in an apartment
anyway. There is too much to do in Barcelona to be sitting around
in the apartment!
John
Yes, you have four beaches in that area including Barceloneta all
within walking distance. So it's great for families and kids.
Andrea
If you go further down to Port Olympic or Poble Nou they're also
really nice areas as well but they’re not within walking distance
to the city. Most people know the Ramblas. And most people want
to be close to the Ramblas and that's the usual request I get. But
Barceloneta is not that far from the city centre - sometimes clients
think it's far out - but it’s not.
John
This is one point I've tried to convey on my site too. A lot of
people are interested in staying close to the Ramblas. I think the
reason is that it's a major landmark and people can identify with
that. But is not necessarily the right place for everybody.
Andrea
I don't think it's the right place for families. It's very lively
during the daytime but by night it becomes a bit of a red light
district.
John
Well the Southern-most end of the Ramblas can be after midnight
but the Northern most end is not too bad.
I think the
other thing that visitors ought to be aware of is if there is a
metro (underground, subway system) stop close by then you really
haven't got too many problems with travelling because everything
is within 10 or 15 minutes by Metro.
Andrea
The public transport in Barcelona is really excellent and I think
that people think that Barcelona is bigger than it actually is.
John
I agree. I also recommend that people just try and walk around for
a while. They will see so much more and be really surprised just
how close everything is.
Well that’s
all the time we’ve got here Andrea. Thank you for taking time
out to do this interview.
Andrea
My pleasure!
Related Page
1) Overview to renting an apartment in Barcelona
2) Advice on how
to choose the right location for your Barcelona Apartment rental
3) Factors to consider when choosing an apartment rental agency
4) Interview
with an apartment rental specialist
5) Purchasing
Real Estate in Spain - Article on how to find a mortgage.
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