Canela Homes BARCELONA BORN♡

Really disappointing and refund still not received

1.0

− I don’t usually write negative reviews so I’m sad it’s coming to this, but this experience has completely broken my trust with booking.com and due to lack of resolution this far I’m seeing no other option than to post publicly. On arrival, the property looked lovely and as we expected at first sight (very steep, narrow, winding stairs in to get in, but we were anticipating this). However, we quickly realised we had no access to hot water or heating. Our host was made aware and communication was good with them then discovering the next day the boiler had completely broken and would not be able to be fixed during our stay. We were offered a partial refund which we accepted. The 4 days we stayed at the apartment we were cold and uncomfortable - we are 4 women with long hair and unable to shower or wash our hair during our stay (Barcelona was raining and cold the days we were there) and to be completely honest the ruined our stay, but offer of partial refund eased the short term discomfort somewhat. It is now over 2 months later and I have yet to receive the agreed refund/ compensation amount. I have had three, hour-long phone calls with booking.com agents, all agreeing this would be resolved soon (being told ‘expect refund in 7-12 working days’ on every call), sent evidence of the agreed refund emails more times than I can possibly count back and forth to online customer service agents who clearly have no access to the records of conversations on my account, and have asked this complaint be escalated upwards of ten times. All I would like is the small refund promised to me to be processed. It should not take me having to spend hours of my own time doing admin to try and get closure on this. The refund was agreed on 4th May 2026. It is now 8th July 2026 and this is still not sorted. Please escalate this with urgency so I can forget about the whole thing. Thank you.

Guest review

1.0

− We are extremely disappointed with this accommodation and our overall experience. The staircase leading up to the apartment is a major issue and something future guests should be aware of. It is extremely steep, claustrophobically narrow, very hot, and very long. Carrying luggage up and down these stairs was incredibly difficult and almost impossible. The apartment itself was acceptable at first glance, but we found cockroaches in the kitchen cupboards, which is completely unacceptable. In addition, both the sofa and the coffee table on the terrace were broken. The most disturbing part of our experience, however, was the way we were treated by Canela Homes, the company managing the property. Unfortunately, we forgot a shirt and a dress in the apartment wardrobe and discovered this the day after check-out. I contacted Canela Homes immediately by email and was able to explain exactly where the clothes had been left. Despite this, they simply claimed the items were not there. When I later tried calling, they repeatedly hung up on me. When they finally answered, they immediately shouted that they would report me to the police if I called again — before I had even introduced myself or explained why I was calling. Throughout my email communication, I remained polite and clearly stated that I was more than willing to cover all postage costs and any time required to arrange returning the items. I am genuinely shocked by the way Canela Homes treats its customers. Problems with accommodation can happen anywhere, but the way customers are treated when trying to resolve an issue says everything. I strongly advise others to avoid booking this property.

Great stay

10.0

Excellent location. Roof terrace was great. Spiral staircase to the property was a bit of a challenge but kept us fit!

Great spot in the best neighborhood of Barcelona

9.0

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay highlighted by the rooftop patio and central location in El Born. Kitchen had all we needed. We had fun with the stairs, yes it is very steep and 70+ of them so you better be fit.

− Beds and the creaking portion of the floor.

Guest review

8.0

Muy bien ubicado y bastante limpio.

− Es un quinto piso con muchos escalones y es difícil acceder, no seria apto si se viaja con personas mayores.

Guest review

8.0

− It was not obvious that there is extra charge when arriving after 21h. It cost 20 EUR.