Mr. Miguel Saiz's description of his apartment as an "unbeatable location" is EXACTLY RIGHT. We were within a 5-minute walk of three of Madrid's truly magnificent, world-class museums (The Prado, Reine Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza), the Atocha Train Station, the exquisite Buen Retiro Park, and a metro station. The area has a variety of shops and restaurants, and one can see business people going to work and children skipping to school in the morning. I had the sense that we were in a neighborhood.

The apartment was very very comfortable, convenient, and extremely clean, as was the building itself. We were able to completely relax there. The kitchen has a stock of tableware, a large refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and clothes washing machine, along with other items. The appliances look new. The bathroom, with a fancy multi-head shower, was stocked with thick towels and other necessities. We were able to watch T.V. in English, using a remote control option while sitting on a comfortable sofa with features allowing us to put our feet up. The bedroom had great closets for hanging clothes and shelves for other items. The living/dining area also had shelves where the host had left books with current tourist information which we did use.

The host's representative lives in the building and graciously accommodated our arrival and departure schedule. She greeted us, gave us the apartment key, showed us around the apartment, and explained how to use the appliances. She made clear that she wanted us to enjoy our stay.

The host was very responsive - in terms of turn around time and substance - to my multiple email inquiries about the apartment, transportation, sights, tourism, food, and arrangements. He made a transportation suggestion about getting to the apartment from the airport and back that made the trip with heavy suitcases much less stressful and relatively easy.

I guess that the most telling thing that I can say about our experience with the host and this apartment is that this is where I would want to stay and would be my first choice on a return trip to Madrid. Thank you Miguel!