What a gift - We loved staying in Gustavo’s flat in Lavapiés and look forward to staying again. We felt we were given an opportunity to be in the midst of today’s Madrid. Lavapiés is a vibrant multicultural community that has an amazing plaza life at night, especially on weekends. There are incredibly good restaurants and shops of all sorts to be found in the area with a little bit of research (Don’t miss the little samosa shop up the street on Calle del Sombrerete for a quick late snack near Cafelito a great coffee place). While we tended to walk most everywhere, the metro is an effortless 5 minute walk away and made for easy, inexpensive access to the airport.
Gustavo’s flat itself is quite comfortable for a couple, and Gustavo couldn’t have been more helpful, flexible and accommodating as a host. His neighbours are also friendly and welcoming. Coming home for a respite in the afternoon to rest our feet and get out of the heat was a relief. The aircon was terrific. There was everything we needed in the flat. We didn’t do any real cooking other than to make tea and coffee but easily could have, though I don’t think there’s an oven and there isn’t a microwave. The washing machine was easy to use and came in handy. (Just as an aside, we completely missed that there is storage space built into the bed until a few days into our stay). We are already planning our next visit.