Despite being on his travels whilst we were in Madrid, Mariano was still able to be the perfect host. Before we had even set out on our travels Mariano was keen to get in touch to see what special arrangements could be made in order to best suit our needs. Although we did not anything I felt this was a nice touch and it seems Mariano would go over and above to suit his guests. One thing I did ask of Mariano was if he could provide us with some good local spots to eat and he came back with a plethora of helpful suggestions which I appreciated greatly.
Mariano arranged for a friend of his, Jorge who was incredibly polite and helpful, to greet us when we arrived at the apartment. He assured us that as well as Mariano he was contactable at any time should we need anything and arranging to drop the keys off with him when we left was a doddle.
Both Mariano and Jorge are the best hosts one could hope for.
As for the apartment... Its perfect. Located in the Malasana neighbourhood, there is a bustling night life on your doorstep, however the apartment is far enough away from the heart of this that you won't be disturbed. With 2 metro stations no more than a 10 minute walk away (Tribunal and Noviciado) you have plenty of options when it comes to travelling (total journey time to and from the airport is about 45 minutes by metro). But we found that we were quite happy walking around this beautiful city once we were there. The Plaza Mayor and Royal Palace, the hubs for all things touristy in Madrid are about 20 minutes walk away.
As with any Airbnb that "sleeps a maximum of 4" this place will only comfortably house 1 couple due to its open plan style there is no separation between the living space and the bedroom. I should also note this apartment is not suitable for anyone that struggles with stairs as the stairs down to the bathroom are steep.
This being said these are the only cautionary notes for this apartment. It is furnished very tastefully with lovely little touches and many different amenities. The beers in the fridge being a particular highlight. Although it does not have air-conditioning we stayed in the height of summer (August, 34 every day) the fan in the bedroom made the temperature pleasant enough that sleeping was not an issue.
Finally, the bathroom, a real selling point of this place, is stunning. Every bit as good as the pictures. Beautifully cool, it provides a talking point and made all of our friends jealous of such a good find.
I would strongly encourage you to rent this property if you are considering travelling to Madrid.