“The delightfully furnished bedroom, together with its contemporary shower room and kitchenette and its own private entrance was the ideal resting place for the five days that my husband and I were staying in central Madrid. The lovely little studio was also in an apartment block directly above an El Corte Ingles department store and supermarket, making the daily purchase of breakfast supplies very simple and easy as there is also a bakery within the store.
“Together with visiting some of the famed art galleries in Madrid, which are plentiful and a feast for the eyes, we also took advantage of our welcoming host, co-owner, Oscar Valenciano Lorenzo’s excellent and highly cost effective add-on services as our daily guide around his hometown, where we were able to experience living like a Madrilène. Upon his advice, we duly visited the best restaurants for delicious ‘menu de dia’ three course lunches for as little as 10 euro per person including wine, while he also directed us to some fantastic contemporary bars that sit alongside traditional sherry and tapas venues in the evenings. He also took us to the most beautiful food markets; many of which were off the beaten tourist routes, but where the Madrilènes go to buy their food on a daily basis. Upon request, Oscar also took us to see traditional flamenco dancing, where the audience was mainly comprised of Spanish and not tourists and was one of the most memorable highlights of our trip.
“Thanks to Oscar’s unsurpassable local knowledge, we visited unusual places that the guides hardly even mention: we watched the sun go down over Madrid in the evening from the most spectacular viewing point overlooking the city, we visited the main Atocha Station, not to take a train but purely to see the vast amount of turtles that live there (truly). We also went to a transport museum with a superb flea market, plus a ‘ghost station’ within the historic Metro Line that has remained untouched for over fifty years. We did so much more, and these are just some highlights.
“Without doubt, Oscar’s brilliant service as a guide, together with his genial and light-hearted approach made a great trip so much better as he asked us what we wanted to see and do and he then made it happen for us. We highly recommend - five stars *****.”