This place is in a GREAT part of town. You're literally near everything. Down the hill a few blocks down is a wonderful little grocery store and the restaurant, Casa Fidel, just steps away from the apartment is where we had our best dinner in Madrid! It's a little cobblestone street outside, but Ubers had no issue finding the place or coming down the street for pick ups. It was very easy to grab ubers in and out.
The Pros:
-Great Location
-Living area in apartment was cozy and well decorated
-Elevator (apt was 2 floors up so didn't have to hoof it up stairs)
-Abel greeted us and was on time and very kind and helpful
The Cons:
-There were some issues with the cleaning when we arrived. Some spots not quite up to normal airbnb cleanliness standards. We spoke about this to Abel and he said he would put a focus on these things with the cleaning crew. I can see that he wants his place to be in tip top shape for guests.
-The balcony was a huge disappointment. We had said we liked a balcony for us to have a glass of wine together at night, before we booked. When we arrived, we saw just a Juliet balcony that already had a HVAC unit on it, so that just one person standing (or on a very tiny stool) could sit on the balcony at once. To be fair, we noticed that almost all the apartments in this area of town had just the Juliet balcony, but having the HVAC out there seriously impeded any use of the balcony. BUT, it was great to open the balcony doors to get fresh air, as the balcony door was really the only outside light in the apartment.
- Arrival to building wasn't inspiring. Graffiti on the outside door and when you walked in a big communal garbage can sitting out in the main hallway stinking. It remained there the entire time of our visit. A bit disgusting. It didn't give a good first impression at all.
- We had some issues with the hot water not lasting long and the shower drain being clogged and therefore filling the shower with water so that it leaked out. Abel promised to look into and correct. So that was nice of him.
I think once the cleaning crew issue gets resolved and the bathroom items , this will be a great place to stay. Abel is a very kind host and really seems like a great guy. He wants his guests to be happy.