Going to Barcelona late December for a week. We're A family of three all adults. I have seen sites for apartment rentals and am interested in going that route but am Leary of being ripped off. Has anyone used a particular agency and have recommendations? What part of town should we stay in? Thanks for any advice!
I rented a two bedroom apartment in Barcelona last year in the area near the Sagrada Familia. There was a nearby metro stop to travel to other areas. Our apartment had a bedroom with a large bed and one with 2 twin beds. We paid 95 euros per night, which I thought was fantastic. If you would like more information you can send me a Private Message. Edit - I use vrbo.com and homeaway.com to find rentals.
I am renting an apartment from Friendly Rentals in November. Of course, cannot speak to the agency as of now - but I have rented apartments for the last 5 years in several countries in Europe and have never been ripped off. VRBO and Home Away are very popular sites. I have rented from both and was pleased with results. The Slow Travel website has reviews of apartments in Bsrcelona and many other places in Europe. I have used their site for years and trust their reviews. Trip Advisor also has reviews but I haven't used their reviews personally.
Apartment rentals are so much more satisfying (to me)as you have room to spread out, can cook if you wish and feel almost like a local. I encourage you to try it.
Rick recommends a certain group in his guidebook. Www.1000nights.es has apartments all over Spain. I've recently booked in Granada and Barcelona and have found the prices better than most hotels. But, that's all I can comment on as we haven't had the experience yet.
I rented an apartment last December that I found on www.rentalia.com on the outskirts of Barcelona. We were a family group of 8 adults and it was cheaper for us to rent a little ways outside of the city. I did all my research and had several positive communications directly with the owner before I committed to the rental and sent in a deposit. We commuted in and out of Barcelona on the train, very cheaply, but for a group of three I would definitely stay in the city. Check out the Barcelona forum on Trip Advisor and you will find lots of discussion and advice about apartment rentals and areas.