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39 narrowing and timeworn marble steps (a nice daily dose of fitness), and you are at the entrance of your very own Barcelona home! A massive wooden door leads into centuries-old building, dating back to 1788 - even a key turns heavily, adding a feeling of authenticity. 39 Steps is a great choice if you wish to immerse yourself into the very spirit of Barcelona, allowing feeling like a local for a while, however illusory such feeling might be if you are visiting the city for a few days only. It's impossible to imagine a better location yet - just minutes from Plaça de Catalunya and about the same distance from Barcelona's Contemporary Art Museum MACBA. La Rambla, overflowing with tourists, is nearby, but the small street with ancient buildings is never crowded. Even the closeness of bohemian La Raval area with its spray-painted graffiti on doors and walls only adds more taste and color to this place.
39 Steps is a stylish one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a living area. A hip fusion of historic and modern design results in a genuine coziness that instantly surrounds you as you step over the threshold. It feels more like staying over at your friends' place, who perhaps are artists or architects, while they have left for a few days. Historic, slightly weatherworn, tile flooring emphasizes the sense of ancient patina; kitchen and bathroom floors are made of concrete but the original wooden ceiling crossbeams are painted white. Contemporary furniture (with a design object status, yet without sacrificing comfort) and Miró inspired wall art adorn the place, serving as bright blots of color on otherwise grayish and tranquil palette of colors. The old city is bubbling with life outside, especially rambunctious on weekend nights, yet the bedroom always remains pleasantly quiet and a big and comfortable bed is fitted with a good lighting for reading. After long hours of walking, you can throw yourself on one of the easy chairs or a big sofa in front of TV with a DVD player. The famous Boqueria market is just 10 minutes walking distance away. On one hand, it would be shame not to make use of the big and well-equipped kitchen of the apartment, but on the other - all the surrounding streets are scattered with small cafes, restaurants and colorful tapa bars. It's impossible to stay hungry in Barcelona, whichever direction you take. There is a yogurt café right next door, where you can get delicious homemade yogurt for breakfast.
Perhaps the only minus to mention is a slight lack of light, making the place somewhat dusky even in the middle of a sunny day, as both bedroom and living room windows are facing walls of neighboring houses. A two-in-one solution for a wardrobe and a small maintenance closet might seem a somewhat strange solution, yet then again - it emphasizes a sense of home where usually nothing is picture-perfect. The bathroom is spacious enough and it is kit out with bathrobes and natural cosmetic products, everything in line of fine style.
The accommodation is equipped with a full set of prime necessity items, like free WiFi and iPod docking station, as well as milk and a complementary bottle of cava in the fridge. There is also tea and a pile of oranges for a healthy start of a day.
39 Steps is the only representative of the trendy British apartment chain Staying Cool in Barcelona.

Rates - 149 EUR / workdays, 185 EUR / weekends
Calle Bonsucces
www.stayingcool.com
It's also possible to book an apartment through www.i-escape.com

^03/2012

Keywords: apartments, Barcelona

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