My wife and I embarked on a 6-week European Adventure from our island paradise in Hawaii. We entered in southern Spain, trekked through Italy and France, finishing up in Germany. We took this first-ever trip ever to Europe to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, her 50th birthday, and my retirement. We planned the trip meticulously for nearly a year but executed with almost-reckless abandon. Going by planes, trains, automobiles, and ferries…in total, we visited nearly 30 cities and got a fantastic Taste of Europe. It was a blitz by all accounts and we are already planning our next trip that will be much shorter and more regionally focused. Starting our adventure in Spain was the best decision we made – great warm-up to get our sea-legs going. Barcelona, the heartbeat and soul of Spain, left a lasting impression and the VRABAC BnB exceeded all our expectations! The fact that we discovered it online three days before heading to Barcelona, the reviews we read were right on the mark. VRABAC is an oasis in the middle of a vibrant city full of life. Nick’s staff was fantastic and having Pablo meet us at midnight after a long train ride from Sevilla, quickly orienting us to the facilities, was welcoming and simply beyond the call of duty. At breakfast and in-and-around the BnB, Katia's presence and down-home touch made us feel quite at home. Great staff, very cordial – we certainly recommend the BnB to our friends worldwide. Expect us back!

Getting there was an adventure in itself. Recognizing we are novice Europe travelers, Nick’s step-by-step instructions from Barcelona Sants to the BnB by metro were very precise. That said, the bag-drag through the metro was a full scale physical workout – we’re taking the cab next time. Coming out of the L3 train at the Liceu station, the energy of Las Ramblas awakened our senses almost immediately. Having an iPhone4 helped us get our bearings to navigate the remaining 300-plus meters to VRABAC at # 14 Portofinessa. Having been an athlete for most of my life (and now an aging athlete) made the 80-plus steps with luggage to our second floor room quite manageable throughout our 4-day stay. For those accustomed to country-style, romantic BnB’s or the comforts of a worldwide hotel chain…a stay in VRABAC would take some realignment of physical expectations. For example, the elaborate graffiti on the doors of all the shops along Portofinessa was quite a visual treat. Instead of a bell-person meeting us in a cavernous lobby, we rang for Pablo who opened up the main fortress door – our entry reminded us of a scene from the movie “Young Frankenstein” when Gene Wilder entered the castle for the first time. We knew at that point that security was a non-issue. We stayed in a clean, wonderful room with fresh linen, a double bed, a/c, a refrigerator, and an en suite bathroom (with shower and toilet). Having wi-fi was a huge plus – not to stay in touch with home or work, but to help refine (or plan) our next destination. The décor was nicely done – from the marble floors, artwork, mirrors, wallpaper, furniture, and natural lighting collectively gave a sense of comfort. Centrally located in Las Ramblas, VRABAC provided easy access to the metro and was within walking distance to many shopping areas, restaurants, the central market, and a range of nightspots for late night fun. As itineraries would allow, recommend starting the day with the continental breakfast – it was quite delightful. We noticed at the end of our 3-night stay that there was no TV. Oh well.

Mahalo Nui Loa to Nick and his staff at VRABAC.

After returning from a 5 week holiday staying in a total of 17 different hotels, my husband and I sat down to decide which was our favourite.... Vrabac Guesthouse was the absolute standout for countless reasons. Vrabac is in a perfect location right near Las Ramblas, but still feels completely secure and quiet, day or night. The rooms are beautifully decorated and are spotlessly clean and welcoming. The owners are friendly, helpful and approachable. They know Barcelona really well, and the list of restaurants/bars/sights that they give you to visit are worthwhile (we visited more than half of the suggested locations and thoroughly enjoyed them all). And finally, the icing on the cake, is the unbelievably delicious breakfast included every morning. Yum!
The only downside to our stay was that the WiFi wouldn't work on our iPhone/iPod. But that wasn't really an issue since you could access their desktop computer if required.
Overall we loved Vrabac and would recommend it to anyone.

This was my second time at Vrabac and they have since expanded to a second floor. I think everything has already been said about this awessome guesthouse. There is no elevator and it is on the fourth floor which might deter some but otherwise it's perfect, great central location, clean bathrooms(shared or private), cozy, free wifi, organic breakfast. I couldn't find any faults and it's perfect for couples... i would stay here a third time for sure!

Vrabac is the type of place you want to keep as a secret to share with only your closest friends - but that would be churlish and selfish.

You enter the building through a door so thick and heavy that it could repel Genghis Khan's marauding hordes into a stairwell floored in pale marble. The guesthouse occupies 2 floors within the building, the first housing the tiny reception and dining rooms, the second the bedrooms and bathrooms. Our room was to the front of the building with a small balcony covered with plants. The room was much like the rest of the building and reeked of delicately faded opulence. The walls are covered with original works of art and decaying mirrors, delicately lit there is a hushed air about the place but you never feel like you are intruding. Nothing matches here but everything compliments.

The staff are lovely, friendly and exceptionally helpful. Breakfast was delightful but take care not to waste any food.

This is not the sort of place to choose if you like a big chain hotel with the uniform predictability of a global brand. The guesthouse is small, quirky and individual and it could not be better located.

What are the downsides? Well, very few. Breakfast starts a little late - 9am - so you'll have to skip it if you want to get to La Sagrada early. And the WiFi is rather flaky but that rather suits the ambiance of the place - and, quite frankly, in a city this beautiful and captivating the last thing you should be doing is checking your email.

I only get to Barcelona every 15 years but I'm not sure I can wait that long now.