Hi All...
We just arrived home from a wonderful month in Spain and Portugal thanks to much info found here and the rest of MadridMan's website.
Apartasol at Carretas #27 in Madrid was reserved online with Francisco and Dana Martin at
www.apartasol.com . We highly recommend it! Our apartment was very clean, extremely quiet because it was an inside unit w/o street noise. There was a full kitchen (no washer or microwave) and the only thing we could have wanted was a coffee pot. If we had asked for one, I believe a coffee pot would have been at our door within 5 minutes. They are very service oriented and wish for their guests to be very happy.
It was the coldest winter they have had in 40 years (we were told later), so the apartment was quite cold but turning on the portable heaters (one in bedroom, one in LR) solved that problem.
A shortage of hot water was normal everywhere in Spain and Portugal because of the extremely high utility costs. Apartasol is no exception so learn to be quicker with your showers!
The construction that isn't completed at this time is on the entrance into the apartments where they are trying to remove all of the old wall finishes and replace with new. (It's like a cement with lathe and plaster.) You come in from the (very narrow) street through a steel grill door that is open during shop hours because there is a ladies clothing shop that is approximately 3 foot wide and 15 feet long in the entrance hall. Then another door that does not stay shut lets you into a wide stairwell with an elevator in the middle. This is the area that is being remodeled. We would rent from them again in a heartbeat but when they finish this construction, it probably won't be a budget accomodation anymore.
It is extremely well located, just half block from Puerto del Sol and surrounded by great shopping and dining. Easy walking distance to the Prado Museum.
Don't forget to use
www.aerocity.com for transport to and from the airport. Great service! Thanks MadridMan for this tip!