IMDonehere

Our Spain trip has changed dramatically by a series of unrelated matters. We have booked our flights and will be in Spain from Sept 5 to Sept 29. Sometime during that duration we will spend at least a week in Madrid. Can anyone recommend a reliable apartment rental service. Right now we will probably stay in the Salamanca area or by Plaza Santa Ana. Robert recommended Chueca but it too much like home.

Thank you.

danon

We rented several times from Spain Select..( last tim in Oct in Salamnca
( our favorite location) SS in not cheap...we like their apts and service.

IMDonehere

Thanks Danon will look into it.

maitaitom

Spain Select was terrific n our last trip (booked both in Madrid and Sevilla. This was out apartment in Madrid.

<B>http://www.spain-select.com/en_US/rent-apartments-madrid/lope-de-vega-ii</B>

maitaitom

Wow that could set the record for most typos in one sentence. Have a great trip. I blame my barking corgis.

Robert2533

Try the Ramón de la Cruz apartments (http://ramondelacruz41.com/en). It has an excellent location at C/ Don Ramón de la Cruz, 41, and has been popular for years.

Of course there is always Friendly Rentals (http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...odation-33.htm)

And Booking.com

Robert2533

The last time we where in Madrid (early last month), we found a better deal (junior suite) at a nice 4-star hotel south of Retiro. It was on the main bus routes, metro and only a 15-minute walk to our favorite tapas bars/small plates restaurantes in the Retiro.

IMDonehere

Thank Tom and Robert. We will look into both, as we will gladly consider other areas. Near Retiro sounds good.

DebitNM

A Fodorite just stayed here and loved it.

https://www.vrbo.com/633925

These are others in the same building; all owned by same person:
https://www.vrbo.com/my/d2aa2835-fcd...?sleeps=2-plus

IMDonehere

Thanks Deb, sounds like another to investigate.

amwosu

IMDonehere, I'm the person who stayed in the apartment Deb referenced above. Terrific location on a pedestrian street in the Literary Quarter, easily walkable to the Royal Palace, the museums, Puerto Mayor and Puerto del Sol. Lots of restaurants in the blocks surrounding the apartment. Wonderful host, responsive and available to answer questions via text on the free WhatsApp during our stay. She's from Curaçao, lived in San Francisco then moved to Madrid over a decade ago. She has renovated all of the apartments during the past four years. Excellent reviews sold me on her apartment and I was very happy with my stay. When arriving to Madrid, we took a cab from the airport to the hotel for 30 euro I believe but when departing, we walked the 15 minutes downhill to the Atocha Train station when headed to Valencia via renfe train.
Ann Marie

amwosu

I should have mentioned that "my" apartment Deb linked above is at Calle Huertas, 12 which is about a 40 second walk from Plaza Santa Ana. We had a lovely breakfast at the Hotel Melia on the Plaza Santa Ana a couple days and paid the 20 euro cover charge (includes one drink) to go the the hotel's rooftop bar for lovely views and a gin tonic which is quite the fad in Madrid these days.
Ann Marie

IMDonehere

Thank you Ann Marie.

Last time in Madrid we stayed on the Plaza Santa Ana in 2008. I forgot where we stayed the other times. We have not seen the new wing to the Prado and are excited about seeing the Bosch exhibit. We will also take the AVE somewhere, for the sake of taking the AVE.

We spent our first anniversary in Toledo in 1973. We splurged and ate the parador, which we are planning on doing that again.

One thing that is gone from old Madrid are the serenos. These were men who would open the doors to certain buildings after 11 PM. You would stand in front of your building and clap sharply and the sereno would find you. You could hear the clanging of keys getting louder and sometimes they would sing "Serenoooo." I read that they were going to try to bring them back some time in the mid 1980's, but I have never seen them again.

michele_d

We stayed here last October and absolutely loved it. https://www.vrbo.com/6587207ha

It was less than a block to the Opera Metro Stop, a couple blocks from Plaza Oriente and the Royal Palace. Exactly as pictured. Very clean. Grocery store right across the street. Would stay there again in a heartbeat.

IMDonehere

Thank you Michele.

Elizabeth_S

Is it just two of you? This is bigger than you might need but we just spent a week there and loved the apartment and found the location great

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/4196462

Elizabeth_S

If you click on the Host's name on the airbnb listing above you'll see he has other apartments - some of them one bedrooms. We found him very responsive and the apartment was beautifully maintained and spotless. While he doesn't speak English his wife does and the communication was easy. Also the apartment was higher than our budget and when I told him that he sent me a special offer.

IMDonehere

Thank you Elizabeth, it is just the two of us.

IMDonehere

We have started looking into your suggestions. Thanks again.

IMDonehere

Although we have not booked the apartment for the week yet, we have booked our two one night stopovers (that sounds like an oxymoron)in Madrid in September and we got excellent prices on Booking.com at the Hotel Persal, a utilitarian establishment on the Plaza Santa Ana for $72, the other at Room Mate Alicia for $110, an uber hip establishment also on the Plaza Santa Ana.

They claim they were one day sales but who knows how long these things last.