Finding an apartment for a month in Valencia wasn’t difficult, but narrowing the choices down definitely took us some time. We started with neighborhoods of interest – on our 2022 trip we had stayed by the market in the heart of the old town, and felt that it would be too touristy for a month. We also didn’t want to stay out by the beach. So we researched proximal neighborhoods and found quite a few options in L’Eixample, especially in Russafa.

Next, we filtered based on amenities: we really wanted at least a one bedroom (as opposed to a studio), a washing machine, and we preferred to have some kind of balcony.

In the end we decided on a newer-listing with a large patio (yeah!) on the 5th floor… without an elevator (gulp).

The Apartment

Unfortunately, communication ahead of time was poor and we were told the day before that we couldn’t check in until 5pm (the listing said check-in was from 2pm). Since our train arrived at 3pm, we cooled our heels at a wine bar until we could check-in. Then the person checking us in didn’t meet us on the street, so we had to locate the correct door and figure out what apartment to buzz so he could let us in. Interestingly, this guy wasn’t either of the people we had tried to communicate with through the Airbnb app.

It was a long walk up the stairs – it took me two trips with all the bags! Thankfully we only needed to get it all down once. We were given a very brief tour and then left to our own devices.

One of the main deciding points for this apartment over others was the spacious patio, which faces the street side of building. The building also had great people-watching options on the interior side.

 
our courtyard and patio views

When we arrived the cushions hadn’t been covered and were soaking wet – it took us a few days of moving them around in the sun to get them (mostly) usable again. Speaking of sun, our patio faced south, so sunny afternoons tended to get quite warm even when the air was cool. It also provided for many lovely sunset views.

Things we liked about the apartment:

• Since we are up higher the apartment is bright.
• Washing machine! plus a large drying rack
• Good size refrigerator
• Nice closet space with lots of hangers and dresser drawers.
• Fast Wifi, >300Mbs.
• Master bed was comfortable, and the bedroom could be made very dark with the shutters

Things we didn’t like as much:

• The kitchen had a very limited workspace and poor lighting. Could have used a glass mixing bowl, extra cutting boards, and a few other utensils. And trade out the tiny and enormous spoons for something adult-sized!
• The bathroom was oddly shaped; a good amount of counter space but an especially tight shower with only a handheld shower nozzle. Like the kitchen it also had weirdly bad overhead lighting, unlike the rest of the apartment.
• Only one roll of toilet paper was provided for a one month stay!

While we loved the location and being in a heart of Russafa, we would not choose another 5th floor walk-up again. Give me an elevator!