The location is as central as can be.
Don 't know the company.

Dreadful company,run by an equally dreadful woman-very unprofessional.She lists so many apartments for anyone who is foolish enough to list with her and then charges the owners a finders fee.When I called her,very confused,disorganized as to what is available.The apt I first stayed in was so dirty,I demanded to be moved,the second one was supposed to have A/C but that turned out to be a typo!Do a search on homelidays,niumba and rentalia.I've had luck with all of them.

Hola

Try also www.vrbo.com. Good luck.

I thought "Rentingeurope" is like vrbo. I looked at the general description: owners can register their apartments with the site, but you deal directly with the owner (the individual apartment page has a "contact owner" button), rather than going through whoever is administering the website.

The 2 things I felt uneasy with them is that (1) the review page of the apartment, there are no reviews by past customers/renters, and (2) I couldn't find on the web, review/feedback about Rentingeurope.

I know about vrbo and have checked their apartments: the prices seem even higher than "Spain Select", which has great reviews in this Fodors forum.

I will take a look at homelidays and niumba.

Basically I am looking for a 2-bedroom (and preferably a 2 bathroom) apartment, fairly close to Sol, for 120 euros a night (my limit), if they exist.

Maybe this one - http://www.apartamentosmadridodesa.com/en/estaticas/index.asp?wm=786&id=254

I did find a potential apartment on vrbo: http://www.vrbo.com/49496#rates. It is owned by a family which also owns 5 other apartments.

It is located close to Plaza Mayor, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, for 120 euros a night for 3 people. It is only 15 euros cheaper than the Spain-Select apartments

Leon http://www.spain-select.com/en_US/rent-apartments/leon and
Calla Mayor 1 http://www.spain-select.com/en_US/rent-apartments/calle-mayor-i

> the furnishing is not as sleek as the Spain-Selects
> I don't know anything about the owner. But I know on the other hand, I can trust Spain-Select completely.

> but this vrbo apartment does not require a security deposit and there is no hidden fee (like boking, cleaning)
> it also has 2 bathrooms versus only 1 at the Spanish-Select apartments.

so I am at a cross road - which one to pick?

I recognized the apartment because the daughter always does that strange artsy(?) draping in all the bedroom!It is full of dust! I stayed at one of their apartments a few years ago-dirty!.The sheets and towels were worn out and the stench from the sewers in the bathroom was unbearable.When I brought it to the attention of the owner, the father said I was exaggerating and told me to enjoy my stay in Madrid!Since then,they apparenty have sold that apartment...
The apt. on C/Mayor faces the street, above a store.I can't imagine how the noise csn be blocked out-it's busy night and day with buses-both public and the tour on/ofF upstairs downstairs buses,cars, trucks etc!
For that price I would expect internet connection but the father doesn't want to bother with it.
I suggest you keep on looking, you can do better.

not sure what chapla is talking about...father? daughter???
We stayed in C. Mayor 1 several years ago....it actually faces the BACK of the building and it was very quiet.

Spain Select owns the apts.not someone's father.

Chapla was commenting on the apartment listed on vrbo http://www.vrbo.com/49496#rates

It is one of the 7 apartments (6 in Madrid, and 1 in Venice Italy) owned by a family. They have their own website:

http://madridapartments.blogspot.ca/

Based on Chapla's comments now I have second thoughts. Normally I don't mind apartments being a bit run down (like many Rental in Rome apartments). I remember staying in an all-white apartment in Florence once. It was owned by an architect. The place was so spotless that I was afraid of sitting down and dirtying the sofa.

I guess chapala was referring to vrbo, sorry.
Leon location is very good and the apt looks newer than CM
When we stayed at CM, the apt. was one of their older apts...

Johmmango, when are you travelling? We are remting the Leon apartment in November. We liked it for the location. Spain Select has been easy to work with.

The apt on Leon looks great-I love the area-close to Plaza Santa Ana, Huertas and the museums,stayed there quite a few times.The only negative for me-no elevator and 2nd floor (3rd floor US)gets a bit much after a couple of days-especially carrying groceries etc.
I've mentioned it before-I am not a fan of Spain Select because of all the extras they tag on to the price!
I've been going to Spain for over 12 years and when my visit was for over a week,I started staying in apts.Back then, there were so few options.Nowadays, it's a booming business and it has become quite a challenge to decide on an apt.Because of availability, I've had to find different apts and the 2 sites I use are either homelidays or niumba.I like them because most of them have reviews and on Homelidays you can call the owners.Thank goodness for Skype!

We stayed in Calle Mayor apartment (II?) and loved it. We had no problems with spainselect and any additional fees, we just considered part of the daily price. We were in the same building as I. It was located in the front of the bldg. While it was noisy at times, we liked it. We could stand on the small balcony and people watch. One sunday morning a road race ran by on Calle Mayor. The apartment you reference does look recently refurbished. I remember the old pictures.

I heard you Chapla. I did look at Homelidays and Niumba, but find that both websites are harder to navigate, because I can't search by the number of bedrooms or by specific locations within Madrid (like Latina district, Opera, Sol etc. etc.). Also they have so many apartments and without good search engine I find it difficult to go through all the potential ones.

Basically I just want an area a few blocks around Calle Mayor.
> 2 bedrooms and preferably 2 baths (or 1.5)
> ~120-125 euro per day max
> 1st to 3rd floor, or higher if there is elevator.

Thanks

The Leon apt looks perfect. I'm very familiar with that street/area and wouldnt hesitate staying there. It's probably 10-15 mins walking to Plaza Mayor from there. If you're planning to go in the summer months make sure the apt you pick has A/C.

Forgot to add, that a couple of years ago we rented the Plaza de la Paja apt from Spain Select, which is very close to Plaza Mayor. It does have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms , but the 2nd bedroom is sooo small I would only recommend it if the people staying in it are children.