I feel bad giving this place a 3 star review because I never really gave the host a chance to correct anything. I don't like being a bother to people or complaining about things during my stay.
Pros:
The place is in an excellent location right off of Puerto Del Sol and very central for just about anything you'd want to do (restaurants, sights, shopping, etc.) in Madrid. If not walking distance, you're a short walk to the train. Communication with the host was quick and easy. I was allowed to check in early. The apartment was very clean.
Cons:
I looked around on airbnb reading reviews of different places in this area and established a baseline for what a similar apartment would go for in this neighborhood - around 115 euros a night for my 5 night stay. Then I paid a premium (about 176 euros a night) for this place hoping to get a better than average stay. I didn't. Here's why:
1-Wifi is terrible. I had 3g service on my phone and often switched to that because it was faster. Some sites didn't work - I'm not sure if it was blocked or just too slow to load. Things like instagram, youtube, facebook were too slow to even use.
2-There was an atrocious sewage smell coming out of the main bathroom toilet during the length of our stay. We didn't know where it was coming from at first but realized when we came home one night and opened the bathroom door. You can smell it outside of the apartment in the hallways as well. I'm not sure if it was a problem in the building or just that bathroom. On top of that, someone in one of the neighboring units must be a chain smoker. There were times throughout the day that the entire apartment smelled like cigarettes. Especially in the evening.
3-Other than some cheap liquid hand soap in one of the bathrooms, there was nothing in there. We had to go out and buy shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotions, etc. Luckily there is a super market nearby.
4-Everything in the apartment seemed really cheap. The bedsheets, the mattress, the paper towels, furniture, etc. Usually when you are charged a significant premium for a place, you'd expect some niceties.
5-The second bathroom seems like they converted a tiny closet into a bathroom. It was so small you literally have to wrap your legs around the sink to use the toilet.
6-The apartment is on the first floor with windows facing the alley and another building.
The other building casts a shadow into the apartment such that you really can't tell what time of day it is or even if it's sunny outside.
Overall, I feel bad leaving this review and hopefully it doesn't appear as though I am nitpicking. I took off one star for the bad smells (sewage/cigarettes) and poor wifi speeds. I took off another star for the price compared to the value. If I paid 100 to 115 euros a night, this would have been a 4 star review. In fairness, he did text me to check-in to see if everything was okay and like I said, I didn't complain. Maybe he would have tried to fix the issues within his control had I complained.