To begin, I had a wonderful time in Madrid and I feel it is my duty – as a solo female traveler – to write as honestly and straightforwardly about my experiences to help those after me. To begin with the great things about Gerrard and Byron’s place:
-	The location is wonderful, close to metro and groceries (Carrefour around the corner), and Lavapies is a cool, cosmopolitan neighborhood.
-	The apartment itself is very nice, with good amenities (stove, utensils, although cutting knives could be updated); coffee filter; TV; fan; in-unit laundry and overall fun décor
-	There is an elevator in the building.
-	Gerrard and Byron were generous in giving me advice about fun/touristy things to do in Madrid, and they were overall very friendly over text.
Unfortunately, there were aspects of my stay that I also found challenging and disappointing:
-	As a solo female traveler in a new location/country, I was disappointed that no one came outside to meet me when I arrived at the apartment. My phone wasn’t working on the day I arrived, and Byron did not clearly communicate that he would be inside waiting for me. Only by chance did I ring the doorbell to discover that he was inside.
-	When I arrived, the hosts made me bring in the drying sheets and towels from the previous guests and fold them. Not how I wanted to start my stay…
-	Trash is difficult. It can only be taken out at night. I tried to throw everything out that I could the night before my departure, but of course on that morning there were other things to throw away. Gerrard and Byron gave no clear instructions for what I should do with leftover trash in the apt (which I couldn’t throw away in the morning).
-	There was a problem with the shower, which was leaking into the unit of a downstairs neighbor. Gerrard and Byron came into the unit twice, always asking for my permission. I was accommodating given the situation. They came in the day before I left, however, offering no explanation as to why the repairs couldn’t wait until the next morning (when I would be gone). Gerrard and Byron assured me that I could use the shower on the morning of my departure, but the shower itself was still covered in powder and other materials from the repairs. I asked the hosts if they could offer a small discount or compensation since given the inconveniences; they refused.
-	These things happen, of course: showers break, communication can be difficult, and I did my part to be accommodating. That is why it was particularly disappointing to land after my flight home, only to find a curt text message from Gerard on my phone asking why I hadn’t taken out the trash from that morning (see above), and a second, passive-aggressive text with a picture of a chipped bowl followed by several question marks (the bowl, to my knowledge, was chipped when I arrived).
It’s really upsetting to receive curt messages from your hosts after a marvelous time in Madrid. I hope in the future Gerrard and Byron can be more gracious in their communication with guests, less accusatory, and more understanding of the difficulties with e.g. trash.