I highly recommend Virginia's apartment. We stayed for six nights with our four kids, ages 13 to 2 years old. There was plenty of room for all of us and, most importantly, we found the location to be extremely convenient. Even with our slow walkers, it was only a 10-minute stroll to the Atocha train station, which was perfect for day trips to Toledo and Segovia (and for arriving from the airport on the Express bus). The apartment was close enough for us to walk to Sol, Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real, and on Sunday to El Rastro. You are so close to Retiro Park that you can almost see it from the living room window. After dragging our kids through museums, we relented and let them play at the nearby playgrounds -- there are several in Retiro and another one just down the street, near Atocha. Within 100 meters of the apartment is a rather large supermarket, which was very convenient. The apartment was clean and, contrary to an earlier review, it was quiet even though it is on a main road. Virginia's father met us at the apartment and explained everything, and Virginia was kind enough to leave us some cakes, juice, milk, and some biscuits -- a huge hit with our tired and hungry kids! I lived in Madrid from 1994 to 1996, so I know the city quite well, and you really could not find a more family-friendly place to stay than Virginia's piso. We would definitely stay here again.