Irene's appartment is lovely, light and airy. It was spotlessly clean. There is a little balcony off the kitchen which affords a view along the street below, and the windows in the sitting/dining room allow a glimpse of the street on the other side of the building and let in a good amount of natural light. (Not always a feature of flats in Madrid!)
The street is busy in the evenings, as there are lots of tapas bars and restaurants, but the noise is not intrusive as the flat is on the 4th floor. This is a slight drawback, but it is WELL worth the climb.
Well situated only a few minutes walk from a Metro station and from the Plaza Mayor. The Metro is great for getting around, but walking through the streets to many attractions gives a much better feel for the city. Half an hour will take you across the city to the beautiful Parque de El Retiro or the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía with its amazing display of art.
To return to the flat itself, the kitchen is well appointed with a fridge freezer, washing machine, induction hob etc. If you don't want to eat out every night, cooking is a pleasure, and the dining table a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a meal together.
The bed is also extremely comfortable, and the hexagonal cut-outs in the sliding door allow interesting beams of light to shine though to the bedroom in the mornings.
Unfortunately we did not have the pleasure of meeting Irene herself, but she arranged for a friend to be there to greet us. Communication was great and I feel I missed the opportunity to meet a really nice person who cares about making her guests' experience a good one.