Nepenthe

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danon

Yes, Sandra
Those apts. are on a crappy street south of Atocha. I would NOT recommend that area to anyone.
It is unfortunate that some first time visitors stay in a really bad parts of the city and come back with the wrong impressions.
We like staying north of Retiro in Salmanca.( which reminds me of the Upper East side in New York)

Googling the street view where the lodging will be in the city you don't know could be helpful.

dodi66

Thanks, momddtravel2!! The SpainSelect Lope de Vega II apt that you reviewed after your stay is the one we have reserved!! Nice to know it is a good choice!! Danon, that is good advice to google the street view, which we usually do, but it doesn't show noisy or disreputable areas very clearly. Which is why I think it is a good idea to get advice from people who KNOW the area, if possible. Hence...questions on Fodorsforum!!

danon

True, dod
It is best if someone actually stayed in the apt. or knows the street well.
By examinig the street view one can( at least ) see the restaurants, bars, cafes, ,cars, trams ,
the streets around
your logging, etc.
Works most of the time although there are no guarantees.
Once, we stayed in a nice apt.
in Paris. Everything was fine except the noise people above made day at night.

Momddtravel2

There is nothing noisy about that apartment. The only noise we heard during our 5 day stay was around 8:00 am or so in the hallway/stairs school children coming down. It is exceptionally quiet.

If you need a cab - just walk down to the Westin Palace and there is a cab line there. That is what we did the morning we needed a ride to the train station or any other day we felt like taking a cab. We also often had us drop us there if we took a cab - it was just easier.

We loved this little place after a morning stroll and seeing a few museums

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP...html#108107621

If it is warm enough during your time in March - rent bikes and ride through Parque del Retiro - my 17 year old loved that!

She also enjoyed San Ginés for chocolate and churros it was down a pedestrian only street.

She also enjoyed (me too) mercado san miguel! Enjoy - wish I was planning a trip back!

mamamia2

"Those apts. are on a crappy street south of Atocha. I would NOT recommend that area to anyone." Well, not exactly so...

...There were 2 reasons I chose Eric Vökel Atocha: 1. being close to the Atocha train station (we originally planned 2, maybe 3 day-trips using trains leaving early mornings from Atocha),

and 2. being on a side, quiet street, while all the hotels I was searching in Madrid (at our price range) were located on busy, noisy streets (an issue which was very critical for us)... Yes, indeed, Google Street-View was very helpful in that matter...

And no, after staying there for 5 nights, the location was not "crappy," nor was it a "really bad part of Madrid" and I'm not sure why you decided that staying there was causing us to "come back with the wrong impressions" of Madrid....

Momddtravel2

Once, we stayed in a nice apt.
in Paris. Everything was fine except the noise people above made day at night.>

Danon - I think we stayed in the same apartment ;-) We stayed in a lovely 3 bedroom in Paris and the people above us were SO noisy!

danon

LOL! MomDD
One more..
In Barcelona we, again, stayed in a great apt. facing a relatively quiet street.
BUT, every night about 2:00 AM a garbage truck came around to empty several huge garbage containers a few meters from the building.
After a couple of day I " waited" for it before attempting to
sleep.

danon

mamamia,
where you choose to stay in a city is your business.

Anyone who knows Madrid would not recommend that part of town.

mamamia2

Danon, sometimes you have to compromise.... If that area was THAT bad, I don't think a smart developer like Eric Vökel would have invested in building a whole new, modern rental apartment building there...

danon

as I said, it is your business.

chapla

That area is quite safe,residential,middle class,a little away from the touristy area but an easy pleasant walk to the Retiro and as you stated, convenient to the station! Posters are referring to the area north of and next to the station which can be ? and with seedy characters hanging around the station!

danon

Chapla, you are right about the seediness of some spots close to Atocha.

My intention is not to argue with anyone about their choices of hotels or apt., but to point out
to those searching for accommodation in Madrid for the first time that there are much better options.

mamamia2

"My intention is not to argue with anyone about their choices of hotels or apt." --- but that's exactly what you are doing, danon.

Of course there might be better choices, but I spent hours researching and based on our preferences, the need for a quiet street and our budget — this was our choice, which we've not been disappointed with.

Why the argument here?

danon

Mama,
This thread is about Madrid rentals I.e. helping posters find logging
in a good location.
As I said( twice) , your choice was obviously perfect for you, but those who know Madrid
well would never recommend that location.
End of story.

BumbleB6

Thanks for your comments, momddtravel. We do hope to rent bikes in Retiro Park. If it's above 55, it will be warm enough for us!
We'll be in the SS apartment on Calle Leon, Leon I, but I believe it is right around the corner from Lope de Vega.