The reviews of Miguel's place were 100% accurate and we couldn't have been more pleased with our stay.
LOCATION: the apartment is the middle of Fuencarral Street-a pedestrian-only shopping avenue. Restaurants, cafés, clothing stores, shoe stores, cosmetic stores of both American and Spanish brands line this street all the way down to Gran Via. The balcony overlooks a tiny square housing a Dunkin "Coffee", Starbucks, Urban Decay, Delisco Cafe & Restaurant, Lateral Restaurant, and a frozen yogurt shop. There are literally about 100 different places to eat within a five minute walking radius, so do some research ahead of time! We were able to comfortably walk to the Palacio Real and Plaza Mayor. Any of the main city sights to see will not be more than a 20 min walk from this location.
ACCOMODATIONS: the building itself was quiet inside. Because of its proximity to the busy street it will be loud outside late at night especially on weekends. (Be prepared and download a white noise app for your phone and you'll be ok.) The apartment is sweet, very nicely decorated, with a pullout bed in the living room, and a second full size bed in the bedroom. Bathroom was sizeable and there is plenty of closet space to store belongings. Miguel provides plenty of extra blankets, pillows and sheets so don't worry about comfort! Each room also has its own heat/AC unit. The terrace was our very part and the whole reason we booked this Airbnb! Nice long terrace running the length of the two rooms, with chairs and a table outside. Perfect to sip wine and people watch. The weather was chilly and damp while we were there, but we still were able to spend ample time out there.
HOST: Miguel was so sweet. He waited outside the building for us upon our arrival. He gave us two sets of keys and made sure to show us how everything worked. Just as other guests said, he left us stocked with a bowl of fruit, fresh strawberries, several bottles of water, WINE!, some little bicuits, jams, yogurt, tea, juice, and milk. He claims his English was not very good, but I was able to understand perfectly combined with the little Spanish I knew. Just in case, he called his son who was more fluent, so that I could ask any questions. Miguel even arranged for a taxi to pick us up the morning of our departure (€30 flat rate to airport).
We were coming from deep Spanish countryside and wanted to immerse ourselves in a central city area of Madrid and this was perfect. Yes it was on the touristy side (you will find many of the shops and restaurants can speak English if you are not fluent in Spanish). I would definitely recommend booking Miguel's place and should I ever return to Madrid, I would not hesitate to book this location again!