This is my first review on AirBnB! My husband and I are traveling in Spain and Portugal for a month and Madrid was our first stop. I guess I will break things down into categories based on our experience:
Exceptional:
1. Immediate responsiveness. No matter when we text messaged or emailed them (which we did quite frequently throughout our stay, requesting directions, restaurant reservations, hair salon appointments, day trip advice, direction advice, acquiring tickets for transportation, etc), Mario and Noellia instantly responded and were beyond informative and helpful. They can truly compete with the best hotel concierge service in Madrid.
2. Location. Everything was close by. And.I.mean.everything.
3. Cleanliness of the apartment and apartment building. Very beautiful and lots of character.
4. Our departure: I don't know too many AirBnB hosts who will call a cab for you AND show up to personally escort you to it at 6:30 AM. Mario did!
Minor Suggestions:
1. RE #4 above: our arrival was not as smooth as our departure, but in all fairness we had just gotten off of an 8 hour flight and were tired and a little overwhelmed by being in a new city: the guests before us were still in the apartment when we arrived although they were packed and ready to leave and seemed to be "riding the clock," if you will. Mario did show up within 30 minutes of our arrival and my husband and I left our luggage in the apartment while it was being cleaned and everything was fine after that. Bottom line: I would suggest texting or emailing Mario and Noellia from the airport to confirm that you have landed and are en route to the apartment when you arrive. My husband and I did not do that and I think that things would have been easier for everyone if we had.
#2. Better towels: for the price point of this AirBnB, the towels should match and be of a higher quality than what we were provided with. A couple of wash cloths would be nice, too.
#3. A softer bed. The linens were quite clean and nice but the bed was rock hard. Mario DID ask how the bed was while we were there and we didn't want him to feel like he had to run around the corner and buy a new mattress or foam mattress topper, but I would definitely suggest this upgrade for future guests as it would truly make the apartment perfect.