Firstly I want to flag the background that we needed a flat to stay in Madrid for one month and have a pet and that differentiate our needs from a lot of shorter stay guests.
The apartment:
The apartment itself is very nicely done, stylist just as pictured with two decent sized beds (both reasonably comfortable even for longer stay) and a fully equipped kitchen. It is really functional , charming and practical. Was definitely above my expectation !
The neighbourhood:
The neighbourhood is not in central Madrid , and is quite local and residential (but not necessarily in a trendy/ hip way). It is a 15-20 minutes walk to cross the bridge to more central area though the walk is beautiful. For us it is perfect because we want to walk our dog a lot and there is a massive and gorgeous park 2 minutes away. We also didn’t mind a little bit of commute at all given we have plenty of time in Madrid. The metro stop which is very nearby (once you get acquainted) is actually quite convenient to certain areas of the city, however it does take a few trials to figure out the best : most efficient routes to various areas when you are new) - which brings about my last point about the host - that if we had more helpful tips from the host it would make the stay even better. Anyways if you only have a couple days stays in Madrid, and want to do a lot and live in a happening or trendy neighbourhood then maybe think twice.
Hospitality/host:
We stay at a lot of Airbnbs, and always prefer them over hotels because of the hospitality and homely feel. This Airbnb is mainly managed by David’s staff who is really responsive and helpful ( when we wanted something he immediately agreed a time to come over and get us sorted) however I can’t say the same about david, there were very few responses from the host himself when we reach out around for any information. Neither did we get any tip/ info on the neighbourhood or the city itself. Providing some handy information on things like transportation etc is simple but goes a long way. Overall, our experience with the host is a bit disappointing and we find him un-accommodative and inflexible. For example we agreed to pay for weekly cleaning on top of Airbnb cleaning fee becAuse of our small pet but have asked him to consider waive it if the cleaning isn’t that necessary as we actually have a tiny pet that doesn’t shed. He never came back to us on the consideration and only wanted us to stick to the weekly policy. In the end the last week somehow we had 2 cleanings within 3 days not including the cleaning included in Airbnb after we leave. On the last day we left in a rush to catch a flight and realised at the airport that we forgot to give back to one set of keys. (however before we leave the manager person actually checked all the rooms and confirmed to us that everything is in order). While it’s our mistake too and a mishap, we were put off by the way he handed the situation. We have tried to discuss a solution where we can return the key after we come back to Madrid in a month , he just demanded coldly that either we mail the key via express from the airport or he has to charge us for a new key. We paid everything he demanded anyways because money is not the most important matter here , however it feels that this is just a business venture for the host and the hospitality is missing.