Maria's place is hands-down amazing, and definitely the best place I've stayed in Madrid. It's in the heart of Malasaña, on of the trendier neighborhoods, where I was able to find a ton of great restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Inside and out, Maria's place is special, but I'd have to say the private terrace was my favorite feature. I spent every morning out there with a cup of coffee, and every evening with a glass of wine enjoying the spectacular view. It feels like you have a slice of Madrid all to yourself. The kitchen and living room features windows and sliding glass doors so you can enjoy the open feeling when you're cooking or relaxing in the living room. And despite Malasaña's reputation for being noisy at night, it was very quiet. Probably due to the fact that Calle Monteleon is just one of those streets that people don't seem to walk down much.

Maria herself is a delight, she was very helpful even before my trip, contacting me to arrange meeting me at the apartment to drop off the keys on my schedule, and helping me figure out how to get there from the airport. I chose to take the metro, which drops off about 2 blocks from the apartment (and having the metro so close made it super easy to get to all the parks and museums I wanted to visit). She was very responsive and helpful whenever I had any questions.

This is definitely the place to make your stay in Madrid extra special, I know it'll be the first place I check on my next visit.