First, this apartment is very nicely located, within walking distance of many important sites, stores, restaurants and the metro. Nine of us spent eight nights together in the apartment during Christmas, 2018. It was warm and secure. We slept very well. There is an elevator. When you arrive with luggage, take it to the 3rd floor and walk down 1/2 flight to apartment 15. Thereafter, simply board it at level 2, 1/2 flight below apartment 15. If you arrive in town without a functional cellphone you can use the WiFi at McDonalds to contact the landlord. Finally, the washing machine is a great convenience when staying over for a long period. There is detergent in the pantry.
BUT, unlike virtually every other AirB&B apartment we’ve stayed in over the years, there are some things you need to bring with you.
Most apartments come equipped with a small amount of coffee and tea for starters. This one was completely barren except for an open bag of sugar. You will need to bring a stopper for the kitchen sink in order to wash dishes and dish towels to dry the dishes (there is no drain rack). There is dish detergent on the sink and a scrubbing pad. There are three frying pans, but bring your own spatula. There is a commercial size roll of paper towels that could be used for drying hands or dishes.
The apartment has so many layers of paint that our bedroom door would not latch nor stay shut. The glass in the door had been broken and a piece of cardboard put in place of the missing panel. There are also numerous dysfunctional electric switches (including the doorbell).
Within minutes of arriving the electricity went off. Bring a flashlight so you can locate the circuit breakers at night. There appears to be no rhyme nor reason for the breakers turning off at random times.
One of our party got locked in the bathroom by a defective lock. Fortunately she had a cellphone and camera with her and was able to show us the problem. Ultimately we had to call the landlord to get the door open. Someone arrived in about 10 minutes after I threatened to call the police to help us. He replaced the door latch the next day.
Each person gets a small thin towel, but no hand towel. There is only one towel rack in the entire apartment, so used towels must be spread over the backs of chairs or on your bed.
There is a large wall clock in the hallway, but bring your own battery. I purchased and installed one myself.
WiFi works in the living room but quickly tapers off as you go down the hallway. One sofa in the living room is completely worn out, the armrest padding is detached- but it’s easy to put back into space.
Both toilets are at the end of the hallway. The floor of both toilets is spattered with paint. One is in a room scarcely more than 1 meter square. There are two showers. One is in a bathtub which appears to have been painted. The paint is peeling off the tub. The hot water is very hot, but only lasts long enough for 2-3 showers with a long interval for reheating.
This is the first apartment we’ve stayed in that utterly lacked any brochures, maps or information about the area. Nor did the lady who greeted us with keys provide any information. We left our collection of tour guides behind for the next occupants.
Finally, I was turned off by the numerous email messages inquiring about our arrival and departure times, even after we had provided that information multiple times. Each message carried a reminder that check In was at 1500 and check out was at 1100. If we needed to store luggage before or after using the apartment the landlord would be happy to store it in his office for 2€ per piece.
All in all, this apartment has the ambiance of an inexpensive hostel rather than a family quality B&B. Our extended family had a great time in Madrid, but was very disappointed in the quality of this apartment. I have numerous photos of the apartment and a copy of our internet exchanges with the landlord. We would not stay here again.