Maria Jose is a wonderful host! She is very communicative, helpful, and clear. She shared many great things to do in Madrid and was easily accessible via e-mail, phone, and Whatsapp. She wasn't in Madrid during the time of my visit but her friend Cecilia was available to let me in and everything went smoothly.

The apartment is in an excellent location - just a couple small streets and steps away from the Gran Via! Be aware that there are many prostitutes on the street where the apartment is located - you have to walk past them every time you go to the Gran Via - but they don't bother you if you don't bother them. I learned that prostitution is quite common in Madrid and there are certain streets where they work and are not bothered by police and this appears to be one of them.

The apartment was cozy and equipped for everything that was needed for my short 2-night stay. The only concerns I had were that the pillows were a little lumpy/uncomfortable and the next door neighbor is a heavy smoker. Unfortunately the smoke smell fills up the hallway and you can smell it through the wall where the bed is - I am extremely allergic to cigarette smoke but this is not the host's fault and cannot be helped since the neighbor is the one is who is the heavy smoker.

Overall, I had a nice stay at Maria Jose's place in Madrid. She is very sweet and was kind and flexible with check-in and check-out times. Thank you!