We communicated by email, then my son, who was studying in Spain, texted Pilar via whatsapp.

Pilar greeted us warmly when we arrived. We took the train to Charmartin from Bilbao, then got turned around, so we were later to arrive than we expected.

We picked Pilar's place because it was near the airport and we were leaving the next day. It wasn't as close as I expected, but it's only a 15-minute walk if you're going from Terminals 1, 2 or 3 (though it looks like 3 is not in use now). Walking from the Metro was not pleasant, but if we had taken the bus, it would have been much better. The house is just on the edge of the neighbor, near restaurants and stores, plus a bus stop. Although the neighborhood looked a little sketchy on our walk in, it seems quite safe. One of my sons had a flight that left at 6am and we had no worries walking him to the airport at 3am.

There is no air conditioning downstairs, however there is great air conditioning in each of the bedrooms. There is a bed for two in one room, then three singles in another. There is a very steep tiled staircase leading up to the bedrooms, but no railing. My wife had just had back surgery, but she did okay. This was our first house on our trip and there were no floors, it opened directly to the street.

Pilar left some items to start cooking, but we hadn't planned it since we left the next day. The back door leads to a patio and that is where the bathroom and shower is located. They are separate rooms and there is really nowhere to place clothes for the shower. You need to step outside, or leave a chair with your clothes and towel. Also, the backyard and patio is visible to neighbors.

All in all, we enjoyed our short stay here. Pilar was a great host and the place was nice and comfortable.