Apartamentos Arguelles

Cons: The room we stayed in was not what we paid for and not what was shown in the photos online! The host speaks very little English so help/ information is non- existent- although this wasn't his fault, you don't get this when you stay in a hotel/ hostel as there is always help available. He also asked what time we were arriving, we were there at that exact time and he was not there. Unfortunately we were left 20 minutes outside and had to connect to a nearby hotel's WiFi to call him as he didn't respond to our messages. The accommodation was extremely basic and did not look like the photos. Beds were like flimsy, children's camp/ pop up beds, decor was tired, shower pressure weak and went cold after about 5mins so washing hair would be an issue. There were no perks of staying in this accommodation compared to a hotel: no luggage store, no housekeeping, no fresh towels, no tea/ coffee making facilities, no condiments at all (sugar, salt, instant tea/ coffee/ hot chocolate etc), not even a tea towel so you could wash up. There wasn't even a small bottle of water in the fridge on arrival which you get in some of the most basic accommodation have previously stayed in. So yes this advert boasts kitchen facilities but if you are staying here you literally have to go to shop to buy EVERYTHING, even basic condiments/ essentials which most won't do for a one or two night stay. The extractor fan in the kitchen and bathroom didn't work. We were also woken up daily around 7am by builders renovating the apartment next door, drilling into the adjoining wall, hammering, removing the entire bathroom suite, sanding down the walls, playing the radio etc. On contacting the host, he completely ignored the message. Considering there is a "no noise rule" before 8am, he couldn't care less. I'm sure if he had complaints about us he wouldn't be so accommodating. We wonder if the apartment next door was also his, which is why he didn't care? In summary, l'm not sure would recommend this place based on what we paid and the amount of other options that may be available. Pros: Location was around 15-20 minute walk to central. Lovely, reasonably priced restaurant "Pomodoro" a few doors down. The neighborhood seemed safe. Air con and WiFi worked well. Hand wash and shower gel provided.

I really liked this accommodation, mostly because of the location and the hospitality of the hosts. When we arrived they made sure we had all the kitchen facilities we needed and they brought us a coffee machine right away. Besides the air conditioning we also had two additional heaters just in case we were cold because of the bad weather conditions during that week in Madrid. The bathroom was clean and we had face and shower towel each. There was hot water all the time! The apartments are with a great location, around 10 minutes walking from Plaza de España, and the nearest metro station is San Bernardo - no more than 4 minutes walk. Another great thing is that the location is in a great 'barrio' where you can see many narrow streets typical for Madrid. We loved walking around and finding new routes and shortcuts to go to the center. There are many supermarkets nearby, one is just right across the street, and many great coffee shops that were around. Before leaving, since the check out time is until 11:00, the hosts let us put our luggage in the office so that we don't take the bag with us while in the city. They were so kind that they did us a favor coming back to open the office so that we can take our luggage right before leaving (even though it was not during their work-hours). The only thing I gave this accommodation a 'Very Good' rating instead of 'Excellent' is because of the room width, since the room was a bit small for three people. It was okay but not that comfortable.

Rented 3 apartments over two nights... guy never showed up with the keys for the third apt, and charged me anyway. Still waiting for reimbursement... reception on the phone said they couldn't reimburse my credit card, only the bank, but said they did a bank transfer (without my bank info)... these guys are shifty, be careful. Rooms are also borderline acceptable. During my stay there was construction next door and there was nothing we could do about it.