I had a business conference in Barcelona and stayed here for pleasure four days before the conference thanks to tripadvisor. This was a wonderful choice for many reasons:

- Location: 2 blocks from Sagrada Familia, a metro station and the "hop on- hop off" tourist buses. Better yet, we found better shopping and restaurants here in the Eixample district than in the main tourist and shopping drag downtown.

- Size: Don't know actual square footage, but it felt like a 900 sq ft. apartment. Modern, spotlessly clean, and very comfortable.

- Price: well below hotel choices of comparable quality.

- Other Pros: kitchen let us cook our own breakfast which was very useful as Barcelona was not a big breakfast town, and we were battling jet lag from California. Nearby markets were handy with a good enough selection of food and a short walk led to great food shopping. Also, I can highly recommend the nearby restaurant "Los Bellota" for the best quality food. The desk staff were helpful and all spoke english well. Note that the desk was manned 24/7, but it is an apartment, not a hotel, so don't expect a concierge. Nonetheless, the staff gave us great recommendations on where to eat, and the checkout time was good. The balcony had great urban views, and yet it was quiet when everything was closed.

- Cons: The kitchen could have had a few more items - like a cutting board and a larger pan, even a sponge. Wifi was not free, but was fast and relatively cheap, especially when compared to hotels that charge more for slower speeds.

Other notes: they had no iron or ironing board, contrary to what their site said. They do have a coffee maker in every kitchen, but it's the "bialetta" stovetop espresso maker, so if you're not used to that (I have one at home) then you may not realize what it is. Bring some Starbucks Via if that's an issue for you. They do have a little washbasin for cleaning clothes, but no drying line that I saw.

After 4 days here, I checking into the Hotel Princesa Sofia for my conference. What a disappointment after having the space and comfort of a real apartment, and the Marina was more than 50 Euros a night less.