My husband and I stayed for a month at Emilio's lovely apartment, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable, quiet apartment in a fantastic location. I think we used taxis maybe twice in the entire month, as we could walk to everything we wanted to do or see within 5-20 minutes.
The apartment is on a quiet block of a street that takes you straight down to the Plaza de Toros and the many fun bars, restaurants, shops, and cafes of the Arenal neighborhood. From there its just a slight left turn and you're in the center, where you find the cathedral, giralda tower, Real Alcazar palace, and gorgeous gardens as well as the fun restaurants of Calle Mateos Gago and beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz.
A highlight for us, however, was walking along the River (only two blocks from the apartment) and crossing the iconic Puente Isabel Bridge into the Triana neighborhood, where we shopped for fresh produce, jamon iberico, olive oil, spices, and pastries at the excellent Mercado de Triana. We often stopped for lunch on the sunny sidewalks behind the market. Our favorite restaurant there is Bicho Malo, where they serve elevated and inventive tapas (with many good vegetarian options) and the strongest & yummiest sangria in town!
The apartment itself is spread out, allowing for separate spaces and privacy between the three bedrooms. Only one is ensuite - the smallest bedroom with a very small bathroom, but even this was quite well set up and comfortable for two. Mattresses were comfortable for Europe - I suffer from joint and back pain, so I padded our bed with a doubled over quilt for extra comfort, but my husband found the beds perfect as they were. The sheets and duvets were good quality and there were plenty of fluffy pillows. Each bedroom and the living room has its own heating/cooling unit. We stayed in Sevilla in January, so we definitely appreciated the heating units (they work quickly to make the room cozy and warm) but found the common areas like bathrooms, kitchen, and hallways remained quite cold: be sure to bring slippers or warm socks if you visit Sevilla in winter! From talking to others, we deduced that this is how all apartments there are and it reminds me of the Northern California homes I grew up in - it's so rarely cold that homes aren't built to be cozy like they are in Northern climates. Luckily the apartment has flash water heaters so you can warm up quickly in a hot shower with excellent water pressure whenever you want.
We appreciated the apartment's simple, comfortable, modern furnishings and the calm, cheerful colors with personal touches that made the apartment feel like home. Windows in the front bedroom and living room have small balconies and look onto the street, but with the windows closed, there was very little noise. the other bedrooms have windows opening onto an air well, but since you're on the top floor, plenty of sunlight and air come in if you want them to. The kitchen was well provided with dishes, wine glasses, and basic cooking supplies and Emilio had stocked the fridge with basics like milk and beer and provided us with some local treats to welcome us.
Emilio was the true highlight of our stay - he was truly the perfect host! Communication was easy, plentiful, and helpful at every stage, he checked in frequently to make sure we had everything we needed, he provided us with a helpful guide to Sevilla including doctors and pharmacies just in case, and he arranged weekly house cleaning at our convenience, with fresh towels and linens every week. When I asked if the house had a yoga mat, he went out and procured two so my husband and I could work out at the same time - he is truly the perfect host!