Where to Stay in Madrid, Spain. A Review of 30 Torecilla De Lealle

We spent four nights in Madrid, Spain recently. We have had excellent luck with the site, vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner). There is always a little twinge no matter where or what we have rented - from houses to apartments. We had checked out the location with a friend who had been in Spain but we had no clue as to what the apartment looked like (if it was actually there)!

My husband had arranged a shuttle for 19 €. (Euros - multiply by 1.4% i.e. 20 € equals spending $24.00 American dollars). We went to 30 Torrecilla de Lealle. I immediately was uneasy. The graffiti was everywhere and the street was dirty. I was to learn later that there are books on urban art! I also learned that we were staying in an apartment which was a 10-minute walk to a bustling triangle called the "ethnic area." We shopped at a grocery store there but there are markets even closer.

It was cold and raining. Luckily there was scaffolding under which we could stand because the owner, Richard Barrow, wasn't there. When we called he was incredibly apologetic and thought our plane was coming in that afternoon rather than in the morning. We had to wait 45 minutes for his housekeeper to come and let us in. When he arrived he came with wine and champagne as an apology.

We knew there would be three flights of stairs which at the time didn't matter. But keep in mind that after walking all day those three may feel like five!

Pros

There was a refrigerator, microwave, toaster, pot to heat hot water, a two burner stove, plates, and everything we needed to eat a meal.

There was a washing machine and lines out the window on which to hang clothes.

The apartment building appeared to be totally redone. The wood in the apartment was gleaming. There was ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathroom.

The bathroom looked very new with a modern sink and shower (no tub).

The living room and kitchen were combined and with the decorations made for a very cute room. A futon sat against the wall with a perfect view of an older model television.

The table was made of wood and very pretty.

We had terrific Wi-Fi at no cost.

The location turned out to be fantastic.

Cons

The bedroom was small and had no windows. We had an armoire with drawers and one night table.

There was not enough lighting in the bedroom.

There was no television in English or radio.

The shower was small. I was surprised that the door to the shower didn't open more. A very heavy person would have a hard time getting into the shower.

The noisy heater was on the living room wall and really didn't get down the hall to the bathroom. The bedroom had a space heater.

The walls were so thin we could have been in the next apartment when the family was talking. As the owner said, "The kids go to bed at 11:00p.m."

There were not enough towels. I mean really not enough. There was one bath towel for each of us.

There was not enough hot water for two people to take back to back showers.

Unlike our apartment in Paris there was no phone that was free to call the United States.

The hall fixtures were not in place because they ran out of money.

In summary, I would stay here again though there were quite a few negatives about which you have read. Perhaps the owner will read this and fix some of the cons. The price was 70 € a night (which included cleaning). This was very reasonable and the location was terrific.