Yök Casa + Cultura: My Barcelona Airbnb with Balconies Galore
The Airbnb With the Beautiful Old Bones
The Short Version
A beautiful two-bedroom apartment in a historic Eixample building, with balconies overlooking Barcelona's streets. The lovely people behind Yök and the incredible morning light made this one of my favorite Airbnb experiences in Spain.
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Sleeps: Up to 4
Layout: Two bedrooms, one bathroom, an open kitchen and living area, and multiple balconies.
Perfect for: Families, couples, and friend groups.
Highlights: Colorful original tile floors, gorgeous architectural details, comfortable beds, and a pantry full of the necessities.
In November 2024, I took a solo trip to Spain, starting in Sevilla before making my way to Barcelona. As usual, I spent an unreasonable amount of time looking at Airbnbs before finally booking an apartment. But I kept coming back to another property called Yök Casa + Cultura. It was in one of Barcelona's beautiful old buildings, with original patterned tile floors, enormous decorative molding, and balconies overlooking the streets below. Eventually, I canceled my original reservation and booked Yök instead. And I'm so glad I did.
I arrived in Barcelona around 11 p.m. after a long day of traveling by train. I took an Uber to the apartment, crammed my luggage into the building's tiny old elevator, and made my way upstairs. Thankfully, checking in was easy because I was exhausted. I ordered some food, ate dinner at the apartment, and promptly went to bed.
The next morning, I had an early photo session booked at Casa Vicens, one of Gaudí's houses, so I didn't get to spend much time enjoying the apartment before heading out. But when I finally had a chance to slow down, I got to appreciate just how beautiful it was.
An Old Apartment With a Lot of Character
The apartment was in a corner unit of a historic building in Barcelona's Eixample neighborhood. If you've ever looked at an aerial photo of Barcelona, you'll recognize the neighborhood immediately. The streets form this incredibly organized grid of square blocks with the corners cut off, giving them an almost octagonal shape. It's fascinating to look at from above, but it's even prettier walking through it.
I'm a sucker for a historic building, especially one that's been renovated without losing everything that made it interesting in the first place. And that's exactly what I loved about this apartment.
The front door opened into a hallway with rooms branching off in either direction. To the left was a small bathroom and a set of big French doors leading into the living and dining room. The bathroom was pretty basic, with a toilet, sink, and a little shower that you stepped up into. Nothing fancy, but perfectly functional.
The living area, on the other hand, was gorgeous. There was a sitting area on one side, a dining table in the middle, and a compact kitchen running along the opposite wall. But the real stars were the original floors and molding.
Each room had its own colorful patterned tile, and you could actually see where some of the original walls had been moved because the floor would abruptly change from one pattern to another. Rather than replacing everything with new flooring, they'd kept the old tiles and let the history of the apartment show through. The molding was stunning as well - it was this enormous, thick decorative molding running along the tops of the walls.
Yök's approach to renovating these apartments is centered around sustainability, so instead of filling the place with brand-new furniture, they'd incorporated vintage pieces and built some of the furniture from reclaimed plywood. Even the dining table and chairs were made from plywood. I loved seeing those simple, modern pieces alongside the elaborate old architectural details.
The two bedrooms were down the opposite hallway. Both were fairly simple in terms of decoration, but they had beautiful windows looking out toward the street and a connected balcony. The beds were incredibly comfortable, and the linens were spotless and felt luxurious.
That's what I liked about the apartment. It wasn't trying to be a luxury hotel. The renovation was relatively no-frills, but the things that mattered were comfortable, and the original character of the building was allowed to shine.
My Favorite Part: The Mornings
My favorite memory of the apartment is actually from my second morning in Barcelona.
I woke up, walked down the hallway, and opened the big French doors into the living room. The entire space was filled with the most beautiful golden sunlight. It was the kind of light where you could tell it was autumn just by looking at it.
The apartment was positioned perfectly to catch the morning sun, and the colorful tile floors and big windows made the room even prettier.
I made myself a cup of coffee and took it outside onto the living room balcony. Because the apartment was on the corner of the building, I could look down onto multiple streets, with beautiful old buildings stretching in either direction. The trees lining the streets were changing colors, and there weren't many people out yet.
Barcelona was still pretty warm during the day, but the mornings had this wonderful crispness to them. So I sat outside with my coffee, enjoying the cool air and watching the occasional person pass below. I could have stayed out there for hours.
A little detail about the coffee: the apartment had a pantry cabinet stocked with things you might need during your stay, like wine, beer, coffee, and snacks. You could take whatever you wanted and pay for it at the end of your trip. It was such a great idea, but it is probably the only Airbnb I’ve stayed in that hasn’t provided complimentary coffee. But, I happily paid for it instead of going on the hunt for a grocery store.
Meeting the People Behind Yök
Another thing that made this Airbnb special was getting to meet one of the people who worked for Yök.
They manage several apartments in the building and have their offices on the top floor. Guests are invited to stop by, say hello, or even use the space if they need somewhere to work remotely. I love getting to meet the people behind the Airbnbs I stay in, so naturally, I arranged to go upstairs.
One of the guys working there welcomed me in and showed me around. They had this incredible rooftop terrace with sweeping views over Barcelona. You could see Sagrada Família in one direction and out toward the water in the other. It was such a cool perspective of the city, especially after spending so much time looking up at all those beautiful buildings from the street.
But my favorite part of the visit was something much simpler.
He gave me a paper map of Barcelona, and we sat there talking about what I wanted to see during my trip. I told him I was interested in visiting the different houses designed by Gaudí and exploring some of the city's interesting neighborhoods. He started marking places on the map, pointing out buildings and areas he thought I would enjoy.
I ended up visiting several of the places he suggested. And I still have that map.
The Neighborhood
I couldn't have been happier with the location.
Eixample is full of gorgeous buildings, wide streets, and trees that were turning beautiful shades of yellow and gold when I visited in November. The apartment was near the Arc de Triomf, and the surrounding neighborhood had plenty of restaurants, cafés, and interesting streets to explore.
I felt completely comfortable walking around on my own, including walking home from dinner at night. I could walk to restaurants, grab coffee in the morning, or head toward the Gothic Quarter and the waterfront.
In fact, I barely used transportation while I was in Barcelona. Aside from an Uber to and from the train station, I walked everywhere.
And that was a big part of why I loved staying here. I could spend hours exploring Barcelona, come back to the apartment to rest my feet and figure out where I wanted to go next, and then head right back out.
Would I Stay Here Again?
I would and I’d bring a friend to use the second bedroom!
I’d recommend any of Yök’s properties to friends, families and anyone that loves original architectural details. If you’re looking for a swanky, modern stay, this place likely isn’t for you.
Learn more about Yök Casa + Cultura and book here.