After traveling for many hours from Seattle, it was a delight to arrive at Calle de Hortaleza to be greeted by Ricardo. He was a delight to be with, as he thoroughly introduced us to all the usual details of the apartment. We might add that Ricardo was also extremely responsive throughout the visit — each time we emailed him about something, e.g., restaurant recommendations (fantastic restaurant recommendations, we might add), he was back to us pretty much immediately.

The apartment’s location was perfect. Its neighborhood, Chuaca, and the immediately adjoining neighborhood, Malasaña, were full of small, crooked streets, crammed full of shops and (wonderful) restaurants, i.e., exactly where you'd want to wander around while on foot in a new city. It’s also highly accessible to many of the other sites you'd want to visit and hang out in in Madrid — it’s half a block off Gran Via, 10 minutes from the Puerta del Sol/Plaza Mayor area, and a 20-minute walk to the Museum district, Retiro Park, and main train station.

The apartment itself had everything we needed for the five days that we spent in Madrid. We’d highly recommend it, and would definitely stay there again if we return to Madrid.