In theory, Sonia's home is an excellent choice for families or a group of friends spending time in Madrid. The location is convenient, walking distance to amenities, restaurants, sights, and transit. The home is spacious, well layed out, thoughtfully furnished, with doors separating the kitchen, bathroom, and individual bedrooms (crucial when travelling with toddlers). The patio adds extra space and is convenient. The apartment is on the first floor, so there are only 2 steps from the outside to inside the apartment. The home is well insulated for sound; we did not hear any outside noises or neighbours during our 3 day stay. All appliances were in order and functional, per the listing. Caveats:
1) it was cold in Madrid during our stay (2-12C). Despite turning the heaters on, ensuring that the heater dials were indeed open, the thermostats on, and the windows appropriately closed, we never got the indoor temp above 16C during our stay. In the middle of the night, the indoor temp would drop to 14C. As a result, to maximize warmth, we had to squeeze ourselves and children into a single bedroom, which was not great for sleep.
2) the apartment is clearly not lived in by anyone long term, but rather a revolving door for short-term rentals. Although appliances, linens, and dishes were provided, there were no other staples provided aside from 1 bottle of shampoo, 1 bottle of soap, a few dishwasher pucks, a small bottle of dish soap, and toilet paper. Cooking was thus rather difficult; either we would have had to purchase oils, condiments, salt/pepper or we would eat bland food. There was no tea/coffee nor soap for the washing machine (we purchased some).
Overall, in seasons with mild temperatures and for people planning on eating out (except perhaps for simple breakfasts, packing of easy lunches), this is a perfect place to stay place to stay. Sonia was very accommodating, allowing us a very early check in, and her place is really well set up and located. Communication with her was clear and easy.