Please be aware that although described by Eduardo in his advert as private but sharing a hall with the adjacent apartment where the host lives, this does not have a shared hallway leading to the apartment, nor does it have a private address or an individual telephone buzzer connected to the street.
Eduardo provides a set of three keys, one to open the main door to the apartment block at street level, one to open a door that leads to Eduardo's private entrance hallway that has two doors leading off it, one to the rest of his apartment, and one to open the door to the Airbnb apartment he rents.
In order to get to the apartment you are renting, you need to go through a private part of Eduardo's house, which he will take pleasure in telling you is not actually a shared space (even though it is described this way in his advert). In my opinion, this means that Eduardo's apartment is a private room, not a private apartment, albeit it an en-suite with cooking facilities.
This is an important distinction, and one that I feel future guests need to be aware of. I was made aware of this new information at approximately 11:00am on the second day of our stay while making a private phone call in what I believed was the shared hall, in an attempt not to disturb my five month old daughter who was sleeping in our private apartment next door, when Eduardo came out and told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was stood in his apartment and needed to either go outside, or back inside my apartment to make my call.
He was cold, inappropriate and rude, and when I mentioned that I believed the hallway to be shared, he simply said it was his apartment and went back inside. This left me feeling uncomfortable for the rest of the stay, terrified I might somehow be caught somewhere I shouldn't be when either trying to leave the apartment to get outside or when coming back having managed to escape without being told I was somewhere I shouldn't.
I get Eduardo may have been upset if I was being loud (I was trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake the baby next door, and it wasn't at what would be considered an unsociable time of day) but he could have communicated that information in a much more appropriate way. Eduardo is, after all a super host. If the hallway that accesses the property really isn't shared then this needs to be addressed by Airbnb in the announcement.
The rest:
The host: Apart from the above interaction, I found Eduardo to be helpful and attentive. He provided extra blankets for our daughter, and helped us turn the sofa around so she could sleep facing the bed. In our communication before arriving, he seemed personable and considerate. I wouldn't describe him as gregarious, nor particularly affable, and he certainly didn't display personable qualities when he told me to where I should and shouldn't be making phone calls.
The apartment: Small but well designed with high end Ikea furniture. There is one main room, with zoned areas (fixed table for dining, sofa and TV, bed and wardrobe), well appointed kitchen (without door) and comfortably sized bathroom, all lit and designed with care. There isn't much natural light that flows into the apartment, but Eduardo has dealt with it well, placing lights in strategic places, most of which are controlled by either a console on the wall or by remote control. The apartment also has personal touches, drawings by Eduardo hang on the wall, their is a wooden magazine rack with architectural magazines inside, and a book shelf with loads of books. Although one section of the wardrobe that runs the width of the main room was locked, there was more than adequate storage space for us both. The kitchen was well designed, large enough and had just about all you'd need for short stays - two ringed hob, microwave, medium sized fridge, plenty of utensils. The bed was comfortable, although it lacked proper pillows (how could this be missed?) and I felt like the space was comfortable enough to spend time in without getting too overwhelmed by the dimensions.
The windows were triple glazed, which I'm not sure was entirely necessary and apart from the odd sneeze from Eduardo next door, there was no external sound.
The location: Smack bang in the centre of Malasaña, less than five minutes from the metro station Tribunal (no lift access for those coming with pushchairs), and walking distance to everything in the centre. The apartment block is similar to many others in Madrid, with an internal balconied courtyard in which they've fitted a new lift (three people max for some reason).
Conclusion: Had it not been for the incident on the second day, I wouldn't hesitate in rebooking Eduardo's apartment. Knowing that the shared hallway isn't actually a shared hallway and the kind of personality Eduardo has, I won't be coming back.
If you are aware of the negatives in my experience, and you don't think they'll bother you, this is a very good option for those wanting to explore the city. I researched a number of different places before choosing Eduardo's, and I decided to book here because of the combination of positive reviews, the price, and his status as a super host.
Although in the same price range as a hotel, this, arguably, has the added benefit of being larger, more modern, and at least somewhat more private. Just don't spend too much time in that hallway, though, otherwise Eduardo might just scream.