María was an excellent host, very responsive. We arrived no problem by metro from the airport, thanks to María's clear instructions. The apartment is well situated in the Chamberí neighborhood just a block from the charming Plaza Olavide, where there are some wonderful cafes. That being said, the apartment overlooks an indoor courtyard and is quiet. We slept soundly in the comfortable bed. The neighborhood is not overrun with tourists and feels like a real residential neighborhood where madrileños live. For those looking for shoes, you must go to Calzados Cantero for comfortable shoes made in Spain. There are excellent food shops nearby. For bread, head to Panic and for cheese and anything dairy for that matter, go to Quesería Cultivo. Toma café is a great coffee shop. There's also a 24 hour supermarket - extremely convenient and a few minutes away from the apartment. The apartment is close to the subway, but we walked pretty much everywhere. The Malasaña and Chueca neighborhoods are just ten minutes away by foot.
The apartment was very clean. There is a small washing machine in the kitchen and an excellent laundry pulley system outside for drying clothes. There's an elevator in the building which made it easy to bring up and down our luggage.
Thank you again María!! We look forward to returning to Madrid soon!