This was my wife's and my first trip to Spain and we used Airbnb in all the cities we stayed. Ruben was an exceptional host, our favorite of the trip, and his apartment was perfect for us. We stayed three nights with our daughter and fiancee in a two-bedroom unit Ruben has in the same building. But with a change in travel plans, my wife and I needed an apartment a day earlier. With the two-bedroom already rented to another party, Ruben accommodated us in his own apartment, which could not have been more convenient. He even moved our bags between apartments when needed to allow us more time to take in the sights.

Our incoming flight was almost eight hours late, and we were reassured when we arrived in Spain to find several attentive phone messages from Ruben, who re-arranged his schedule to meet us and show us the space. He took the time to provide us with a lot of local information, and also made a point to come by to say goodbye when we left.

The apartment location is perfect to see Madrid, and while there is lots of pedestrian activity on the street below, you can easily quiet the apartment at night by closing the windows and turning on the A/C. The apartment was very clean, and we enjoyed all of Ruben’s personal touches. The kitchen and bathroom were snug but not uncomfortably so; the elevator worked fine.

We look forward to staying with Ruben again when next in Madrid. He is kind, friendly, caring, cheerful, and accommodating - a stand out.