Let me start by saying the apartment itself and the location is wonderful. It’s close to Plaza Mayor and loads of shopping and restaurants.
Now, we arrived and tried the self check in after a VERY LONG travel with two small children and 4 big pieces of luggage in one of the worst heat waves of Madrid. It didn’t work. We tried to reach the host for an hour. When he did pick up and realized it wasn’t working, he proceeded to hang up on me and forward me to voicemail for 10 minutes. I call to call AirBnB directly for help. They wanted us to wait another hour, but I asked for 30 minutes, since we were on a very thin side street with luggage and small children.
Someone finally arrived one hour later to let us in. He was not with the host, but a friend doing a favor. They could not get the auto check in/door to work either.
Then, we realized the air conditioner did not work. Again, we contacted the host. They sent someone the next day at 10 am without notice. It had clicked on in the middle of the night but only in the main room. Four people slept in one double (full) bed. So I told the tech not to worry. It was VERY minimal the air coming out. Plus there was zero circulation in the kitchen, living room or other room. Then, the next night at 11pm, it stopped again. I ended up sleeping on the hard floor in the main room to give my kids and husband more space on the double bed . It was sweltering hot. (And we are from FL, so we KNOW heat).
The ad lists this property as beachfront/beach access. Clearly, in the middle of Madrid, this is false. There is NO beach access and is NOT beachfront.
There is NO garden downstairs by the garage cans (as listed). it’s an double entrance way. As far as quiet, it’s absolutely not. I heard every drunk walking from the club from 10pm to 4am each night. It’s not a good place for children, as they do not offer a crib, the noise and the super unsafe entrance downstairs (proximity to the street).
Getting a taxi drop off/pickup is horrible location, as there’s limited street access. Others have complained about this too, definitely not 100% claiming to have a great drop off, as claimed in the listing.
The master bath, although a nice size, leaves little concern about cleanliness. It could use to a good scrub at the grout lines (showing mold in several spaces).
Kitchen is stocked with typical items and some random spices. The washer and dryer work well. There is no light at the entrance (double entrance to unit), so be prepared to fumble with the door key in the complete dark.
The TV is not a smart tv, so there are only local channels.
Otherwise, I would never stay here again, due to the AC issue and rudeness of the host. We stayed at other AirBnBs in Spain and was greeted with such amazing hospitality. This was a major disappointment due to service and lack of the listing being accurate.
We also tried to check out 2 hours later, as we got zero sleep with the AC going out. I got “sorry, cleaning lady comes at 11:15” that’s it. No, I’m sorry for troubles, nothing. This is not worth the hassle.