We stayed at Carmelo's apartment for 4 nights last week and were very impressed as soon as we arrived. Carmelo was very welcoming and spent time explaining the local area to us. He had maps to help show how to get to local attractions. He recommended a local food market which we enjoyed shopping at and a great restaurant called Neru where we enjoyed a really fantastic meal. The apartment is spacious, clean and has everything you need, including a well stocked kitchen with hob and microwave if you want to do some cooking. The apartment is in a very central area, close to the Gran Via and lots of nice squares surrounded by bars and restaurants. There are several metro stations nearby and you can access local museums, parks and shops very easily. On the day we left Carmelo kindly let us leave our bags in his apartment (he lives next door) as our flight home wasn't until the evening. Overall we really enjoyed Madrid and staying in this apartment and we would certainly stay again!