3-bedroom apartment in Barcelona

In Barcelona, Spain, we highly recommend the apartment owned by Valentin Rasero (Calle Jovellanos, Number 1, Barcelona, Spain; phone [34] 659979837, e-mail barcelonaapartment@gmail.com).

For our family trip to Spain in June ’07, we rented the 3-bedroom, 2½-bath apartment to accommodate our family of seven (five adults and two teens) for one week. This second-floor, air-conditioned apartment is reached by an elevator or stairs.

The apartment was very clean. There was a dining/living room and a very complete modern kitchen with dishwasher, plus a clothes washer and dryer.

The owner was very gracious and helpful.

We paid $3,300 for the week, which included a 30% reservation deposit paid by bank transfer to the owner’s bank in New York. The balance was required to be paid in cash (euros) on arrival at the apartment along with a €300 ($468) refundable security deposit.

The apartment is a 3-minute walk from Plaza Catalunya at the top of Las Ramblas, near bus and train stops and many restaurants. The double-decker tour bus that allows you to hop on/hop off all day for one fare has a stop at Plaza Catalunya.

La Boqueria, the historic produce-and-meat market, is within walking distance, as is an El Corte Ingles department store with a well-stocked food floor.

ROBERT & DELORES FREDERICK

Salinas, CA