Overall, we really enjoyed this apartment! However, there were definitely many things that we didn't like/had issues with. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros:
- The terrace/balcony was amazing! So lovely to have our morning orange juice/toast out there or an evening drink.
- The natural light in the front part of the apartment is great!
- The location is very central and is a close walk to things like the Prado and Reina Sofia, fun neighborhoods like Malasaña and Chueca, Plaza Mayor/Mercado San Miguel, etc.
- The beds were very comfortable!
- We only used one shower, but it had great water pressure and had plenty of hot water!
- Great AC!
Cons:
- IMPORTANT: there are several doorways in the apartment and even the main apartment door that are VERY short. I am 5'6" and it was fine for me, but my boyfriend who is 6'1" hit his head very hard several times because of this. We think this really should have been listed on the description, as it is honestly dangerous. We were afraid my boyfriend had a concussion because he walked into it so hard!
- There seemed to be very little thought/effort into the overall apartment. It was very stark and bare, as there was basically nothing on the walls/no decorations and everything was white and not very homey. There were also NO curtains in the front bedroom where it is very bright.
- Of course hosts are not required to provide certain things like salt/pepper/laundry detergent, in the past I've really appreciated it when they do! We were there for a week and ran out of toilet paper and the host said we had to buy more ourselves if we ran out.
- Some cracks in the walls in several locations
- The fridge and all closets/dressers had a small hole instead of handles, which was very strange and not very practical. Also, if you accidentally keep your finger in the hole as the fridge closes it will pinch you/close on your finger (this is obviously just a choice of furniture and not the host's fault, but we found it odd.)
- No microwave
- There are some some funky smells that come from the toilets/bathrooms at times (this might just be a common feature of old Madrid apartments)
- 1 of the showers leaks all over the bathroom, as there is no divider on the floor to keep the water in, so we only used 1 bathroom/shower which did have the divider.
- Person who helped us checkin was ~ 20 minutes late and was not very friendly.