Yes, you DO know that street!!, having walk from your lovely boutique hotel in Almagro to Sala de Despiece.

Next time you're "Ponzano-ing", try the Santerra Neo Taberna at the very northern end of Ponzano after a stop for a pintxo at the bar of Arima Basque Gastronomy.

BYW, the Sala de Despiece on Ponzano will be closing. The owner, Javier Bonet, is moving the Ponzano location to Calle Alonso Cano, still in Chamberí. He also intends to open a 3rd branch in Salamanca on Calle Ayala.

Hope you get more sun in South Florida!

Info here
https://www.gastroeconomy.com/2023/1...a-de-despiece/

eks,
If you look at Engels & Volkers, their prices are mind blowing!

https://www.engelvoelkers.com/en/pro...Type=apartment

WOW..you are NOT kidding! I am shocked at the prices. Anything even remotely possible (looking in Retiro now, not Salamanca) needs total renovation. The situation may be even worse than NYC. Makes sense with all the turmoil in Venezuela and, now, Ecuador, and the usual Colombians and Mexicans with $$$$!! Why did I even think this might be possible?
Only from what I see on tv shows, Valencia is also getting very very pricey, but not like Madrid. I won't even ask about Barcelona...but will take a look at the Idealista site. (I've not been there since about 2016.). One could do worse than buying a place in Sevilla(???)...certainly a lot better place got spend your winters than Florida! But don't take me too seriously...long-term rental Is a lot more of a possibility for me than buying, especially if renovation is needed! I'm just dreaming here.

What site would you recommend for rentals of 1-2 months in Madrid?

Even long term rental is very difficult in Madrid, as now 3 months rent is required in advance, and our immigration lawyer explained to us that the rental market was even more competitive than property buying these days. And remember that the cancellation penalty can be extremely stiff, in some cases completely non-refundable (learned from experience).

We did not have a particularly stunning experience with our month-long rental with Home Club---just adequate, although the location was superb, just a block or two away from your lovely boutique hotel. Very chic area, and the apt. furnishings were stylish at least, but it did need a more thorough initial cleaning (problems with installation of a new washer/dryer, which wrecked havoc on arrival day).
Change of bed linen was provided but sheets the wrong size, burned out light bulbs in m. bath and hall way that finally were repaired, mirror not secured to the wall, no instructions for use of appliances (washer/dryer & dishwasher), missing hair dryer, but a new one delivered the next day upon request.
Our greeter had never been in the apartment before so didn't know how to find the Wi Fi code, where the recycling bins were located....Just little things....But Home Club does have beautiful apartments in Salamanca for a 1-2-3 month rental.

I remember (I think???) that you used them back when they were Spain Select for a short term rental as have other of my dear, favorite Fodorites, so I don't want to be too negative.
It's just that they now have over 700 rental properties that required their attention, and proper maintenance can sometimes be lacking. In all fairness, they try to do their best, but it's imperative to deal with only one person in the office, the same person, as sometimes the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing, causing for poor communications.

On HO I was introduced to Ivory Homes but I have no personal experience with them.

Hi ekscrunchy, I am assuming that this is probably not what you initially had in mind but I suspect you would have more reasonable options if looking at some smaller towns out particularly away from the heavily touristed areas (which are not as authentically Spanish anyways). If it is on an AVE train line, that would be a great bonus for mobility. The option of an apartment hotel could also be considered, some of which have monthly rates. (done that)

I have also rented with (the former) Spain Select (SS) in Valencia in the past; our experience was actually quite a good one but with a few provisos as Maribel mentioned. It was a fairly gorgeous property literally steps away from Plaza de la Reina and the Mercat Central. Spain Select seemed to market their properties as being more "exclusive", but we had a few minor misgivings: the furnishings looked very nice but were of low quality (for example the bed mattress was in fact just a more or less dense foam slab, the living room sofa was obviously from a budget furnishing store i.e. far from "exclusive", etc.), in one of the 2 bedrooms they forgot to provide us with bed sheets (we had to use only the bed cover for the first night), that sort of thing. SS was however very responsive to our requests for sheets, colander (kitchen utensil for straining pasta, is that how you call it?) etc. All our requests were handled promptly and they also threw in 3 bottles of cava presumably as compensation. (although the bed sheets were on the tired side and had some small holes due to thinning out of the fabric over time)

ekscrunchy,
The former Spain Select, now Home Club, no longer rents short term properties or long term in Sevilla (we had a very pokey rental there), but they still do in Valencia.
And Valencia is only a one hour, 51 min. train ride from Chamartín. The Madrid-Valencia AVE now departs from Chamartín rather than Atocha.

I have a HO friend who has searched for Valencia properties, as did we initially, but we had a hard time finding something that didn't need some renovation, but you can do a search on idealista.com

In Valencia we looked in the Ruzafa (Castilian)/Russafa (Valenciano) neighborhood where our favorite dining spots are located--it has beautiful architecture.

kanadajin,
Wish that Home Club had compensated me with 3 bottles of cava, a nice gesture!

BTW, eks,
This was our rental in Almagro on Calle Zurbano
https://www.homeclub.com/es/properties/shortlet/1597

Maribel, yes the quick turnaround (within just a few hours) and the gifted bottles certainly left us with a positive impression of SS.

Off topic: ekscrunchy, out of sheer curiosity did you ever make it over to Santiago (Chile) in the end?

Good ideas..thanks to all who responded.

Maribel, I am going to look into the Vaencia idea, and the train trip to Madrid is a great motivator. And the weather would be great.
and the food; I think the restaurant scene has really taken off in the years since I've been, but that's only based on a few things I read online.....I never did find great paella on that trip!!

Kanadajin: NO! We had to cancel once due to COVID and once due to some (now resolved medical issue with the partner). And the semi-funny thing was that after those two cancellations, I inquired briefly about a third try, and the travel agency (yes, ewe used one, which we almost never do) told me that they did not want to work with me again! Of course they did not say it exactly like that, but.... I know I can arrange its myself, but the past two years I've been going to Spain, solo, in the winter, so I just gave up on Patagonia. I was a little on the fence about it to begin with but it was a good idea, I thought for the winter and very early January was a good time for us, also. Have you been? Am I really missing out if I never get there?

Hi eks,
Valencia has a very vibrant restaurant scene these days!
Places like La Salita, Ricard Camarena, Lienzo, Arrels, El Poblet, Fraula for Michelin stars or Repsol suns, then Dacosta's Llisa Negra for rice dishes, Fierro, the classic Askua for grilled meats, and don't forget the great bar, Rausell in Ruzafa for esmorzaret (almuerzo) or Central Bar in the fabulous Mercat and the truly wonderful tavern from 1836, Casa Montana, in El Cabanyal for wonderful trad dishes.

For paella I would go to Casa Carmela or better still, the paella place that TJ recommends on HO, Ca' Pepico. I have it at the top of my list.
He says: "It’s also worth noting that for those without a car, you can a take regional train (not the valencia metro) to Ca’Pepico in about 20 min, in contrast to the Albufuera town rice places (like Arrocería Maribel), where your only option is a 45 min bus or 40 euro taxi/rideshare."

​​​​​​​Dacosta says that Restaurante Rioja in Benissanó serves the best paella in the Valencia region, but I've not been.

Maribel, thanks!!! I took a quick look at Valencia place for sale....anything nice needs Reno. But renting a place for a few months is a far better (and less expensive!!) idea for me. I will look further, especially since you confirm that the food scene is good. I know the city is gorgeous. Would Ruzafa be the best place to locate? How is the Arts and Sciences area? And the beach areas.....???

I was in Salamanca once, more years ago than I can remember and I do remember only the beauty of the Plaza Mayor, always counted as among the most beautiful in Europe, if not the world. I remember reading the book IBERIA by James Michener, also years go, where he extols that plaza. You've made some very positive comments about the city..what would you think of a months long rental there....this would likely be in winter/early spring? How's the restaurant situation?? And the transport to Madrid??

Wherever I rented, I would prefer a 1 bedroom but since those seem to be very scarce, a 2 bedroom, which would be best if not for the price. I am going to take a look at that new building you linked earlier, in Chamberi, when I'm in Madrid. I might go to a real estate agent and inquire about rentals for a few months. But is it like the US, where all agents can use the MLS? Or does each agent offer places different than the other agencies? (I think that is the case in Paris, just going from the little I gleaned from watching House Hunters!!)

And Sevilla should be great in the winter!!! Imagine that one could cover much of Andalucia from a base there....pop down to Sanlucar for a few days, run over to Zahara for Antonio when the mood strikes!!! Visit the Matteos at their home in Jerez!!

Today I watched an episode of House Hunters International set in Madrid (timely). The American couple had sold their California house and were looking for a long-term rental--2 bedrooms with balcony--for $2800 maximum. They had jobs as English teachers, not sure where in the city. They looked at 3 properties:

1. Retiro. Facing the park. $2800. They thought it was too small. It would have been a perfect side for me, but it faced the rear of the building; no balcony. Furnishing were pretty ugly and kitchen was minimal. No balcony.

2. Latina. $2800. Also facing the rear of building. One of these places, I think this was the one, had a shared outdoor garden with chairs and tables that looked quite lovely.
if I am remembering right, this one had a better kitchen but again, furnishings not great.

3. Sanchinarro. $2500. In one of a complex of buildings circling around an outdoor pool. The buildings were second half of 20th century and although blocky, the architecture was not at all ugly. Much larger than the first two. Furnishings slightly nicer.

So, which one did they choose???

Answer: La Latina flat. I played along with the show. I liked the location of the Retiro flat, but the place was ugly. I thought Latina would be too busy and noisy and filled with tourists all the time...maybe that's not an awful thing. The third place was clearly nicest, and least expensive. But I thought they said it took an hour to get to central city, or maybe it was an hour to their school..... I liked the idea of the pool, but it seemed out of the way for a short term rental like I would be interested in.

This is mostly just dreaming but who knows? Its within the realm of possibility, certainly for renting.

The Arts and Sciences and the beach (Malvarrosa) areas for me would be a tad too far from the Mercat, the shops, the food scene. I meant to add that Ruzafa is the "barrio" (ward?) while the district is Eixample (the Expansion). Some travel writers call Ruzafa the hipster neighborhood or the new Soho. We just like the dining scene and the architecture there. The barrios in the Eixample are Ruzafa, El Pla del Remei and Gran Vía. I like the Gran Vía barrio as well.

I was just in Salamanca for 4 nights in late February to visit old haunts (I studied there), and my husband and I are returning in early May when it warms up (it's incredibly cold there in winter and windy). Although the city is indeed beautiful, especially at night, it's a tad too far away from Madrid for me to be happy there long term. There are 3 daily Alvia trains, taking 1 hr. 40 min. but the rest are slow MDs that take almost 3 hours. I went by Alvia and returned to Madrid by slow bus.

We looked in Sanchinarro. No, no, no.

Yes, all agents can use the MLS. But it would be best to deal first with a long term/short term rental company (like Home Club or Ivory) whose apartamentos turísticos are geared towards business folks on a short term contract or people who just want to try Madrid out, like you, before committing. They come completely furnished.

Many owners don't want to rent for just a month. Some require a 3-month minimum rental along with a hefty security deposit.

Be very careful about exterior vs interior apartments. Although ours on Zurbano was exterior with 2 Juliette balconies in the large living room, the rest of the rooms had no natural light at all--the kitchen window looked into the kitchen window of our neighbor, the baths and bedrooms in the rear had no natural light, but of course, there was no street noise, so a trade off. But Almagro has become extremely expensive. Our flat was next to an embassy and across from the Palacio de Santo Mauro, a posh neighborhood but very, very quiet (dead, actually) on weekends, as the well-heeled residents took off for their weekend homes.

I took at look at Home Club for Valencia, but they only have flats in 3 different buildings.
All of these apartments look nice, and prices are what I imagined for a fairly high-end rental. Or I stretching things to say "high end." I would like 2 bedrooms, but 1 is ok, too.
I liked the look of the Canvas I flat and it seems to be easy walking to the Gran Via and Ruzafa barrios. I will see if the seafood-shunning partner would agree to visit, maybe late November/early December....(again: ???)!

ekscrunchy,
The Vanvis I flat has a great deal of natural light, and I like the open kitchen rather than a kitchen that's a tiny room closed off from the rest of the flat (like ours was).

Big news!!!! Partner has agreed to take trip in late November!!!!!!! Will begin new thread about this later on..... I was thinking 2 weeks in Valencia, with no rental car but possible side Tripp too: ???? I know it's easy to get to Barcelona on the train (I did a Valencia-Barcelona trip about 10 years ago, staying in a rental apt inn Barcelona that I loved. But maybe tiring to go to BCN just for one day, although we could arrange an overnight stay.

Do not miss Cuenca! AVE from Valencia (about 45 minutes I think). See the casas colgadas, the very impressive cathedral with cloister, and a highlight for us if you are into Modern Art, the Museo de Arte Abstracto (inside one of the casas coladas). We actually stayed an overnight or two at the parador there and had a room with killer views on the gorge.

Yes, definitely a side trip to Cuenca via the AVE. I second every single word that kanadajin has said.
Stay in the Parador across the bridge, dine at the reopened Casas Colgadas restaurant with one of Castilla La Mancha's best chefs, tour the cathedral with the excellent audio guide and see the wonderful Museo de Arte Abstracto with works of Chillida, Tapičs, José Guerrero, Barceló, Torner.

Burt warning----bundle up for November, as Cuenca can be ice cold!

Everything being relative coming from where we live, Cuenca is positively mild !!! Even in Salamanca in March (where I studied as well), when I arrived I felt so lucky to be out of our eternal winter. Imagine that, in Salamanca at that time the water was actually in its liquid form!!!! (i.e.not ice) The running fountains and all the flowers were like a balm on life, soooo soothing At that same time her here we still have over a couple of months to see real green leaves on trees ....

(Sorry, just venting )

That's funny! Where exactly do you live, kanadajin? I was in Salamanca this February and I thought it was soooooo cold! But comparatively speaking....

Fantastic! Yes got Cuenca. You think we ought to spend the night there? I contacted a VRBo listing for a Valencia flat that looks great, and will soon contact the HOmeClub about the Canvis..

Yes, ekscrunchy, do spend the night! And make sure that your Parador room has that gorgeous gorge view. And dine at Jesús Segura's Casas Colgadas, Repsol recommended. But closed Sunday evening and all day Mon/Tues.
https://www.guiarepsol.com/es/comer/...-jesus-segura/