Wish we were there
Review Submitted: September 21, 2009
Date of Stay: August 2009
This was the second year we've (my 3 teenagers and I) stayed in the Picasso apartment, which is comfortable, modern, secure and well located. It was even better because we were now familiar with the area, so tasks such as food shopping and navigating were easier and quicker. The deciding points in choosing the apartment again were mainly: price, location, comfort and cable tv!
Our local metro stop is Jaume I – a 5 minute walk on the way to Las Ramblas, where I went almost daily to La Boqueria market to buy fabulous fruit, vegetables and cheese. We were here for 6 nights and ate in on about 3 of them.
There’s a very nice little supermarket in Passeig del Born, which has everything really. The food is better quality than in the little shops that are very near to the apartment, though these are fine for such items as baguettes, (the one on Carrer Assaonadors), water etc.
Passeig del Born is a pretty place, with many eateries, trendy little boutiques and craft markets.
We went to a flamenco session at a club called Sala Tarantos on Plaça Reial, which was highly entertaining and impressive – good value.
We also went on a train to Sitges twice and Garaf (the stop after Sitges). The beaches are lovely and the little town of Sitges is gorgeous. The journey is only 30 minutes on the RENFE overground train from Passeig de Gràcia station. The train is air-conditioned, which is a nice relief from the heat, (unlike the station, which is like a very unpleasant sauna). The apartment is just around the corner from the Picasso museum, which I visited and is lovely – many more art works than I expected, plus a great exhibition by Kees Van Dongen included in the ticket. Other good stuff we took in included Gaudi’s Parc Güell and Sagrada Familia, the cable car up to the Castell de Montjuïc (the panoramic views from the top are fantastic), the Magic Fountain – this was refreshingly different and cooling. You just get a metro from Liceu station (on Las Ramblas) to Espanya and you’re there.
Even if we’d done none of these things, I could spend at least a week just exploring all the narrow streets of the old city, stumbling upon little shops that you feel no one else has seen. I also liked the little back-streets near the Cathedral, particularly Banys Nous and Cucurulla, for strange little bookshops, designer clothes and cheap shoes.
To summarise, the apartment is convenient, comfortable and ideally situated to appreciate this city which feels so relaxed,
Recommended for:
Adventure Seekers,
Girls Getaway,
Tourists without a Car,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Romantic Getaway
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