Cosy apartment next to Madrid´s Central Park, and a beautiful stroll to the Prado museum,

Our two-bedroom, two-bath family-friendly apartment is located on the second-floor of an upper-scale building with a concierge booth and two elevators. It is ideal for a couple or a couple with a child. All of the rooms have a view out back towards a grassy area and swimming pool (that belongs to another apartment building). The apartment building includes a handicap-accessible ramp to the elevators. Our apartment, although located in the center of Madrid, is remarkably quiet, with no traffic noise.

CAR AND KIDS: While Spain has an excellent train and long-distance bus service, if needed we may be able to arrange use of my car, depending on the circumstances.
In addition to the master bedroom with in-suite bathroom, the child´s room has a roll-out bed underneath, so it can sleep two little ones if needed.

SPECIAL NOTE TO MATURE BIKERS: I own a recently-serviced 2000 Yamaha Thundercat. Under exceptional circumstances, and with appropriate guarantees, etc., the bike could be made available for those interested in a bit of sport-touring through Spain, where the highway system is excellent.

INTERNET: Free wifi is available.

WHAT WE´RE LOOKING FOR: My son and I tend to prefer simplicity and comfort. A small apartment or house would be just fine for us. We use to live in Portland, OR. so we enjoy returning there on a regular basis. Otherwise, we are open to any scenic location, world-wide, within walking distance to shops that provide basic necessities. We are also amenable to major cities within easy walking distance to public transportation.

PET CARE: As we have a cat, we would prefer visitors who would be willing to care for her while we are swapping homes. With enough food and water, she can be left for up to 5 or 6 days if you would like to leave Madrid and visit other regions of Spain. Sevilla, for example, is just two-and-a-half hours by high speed train from Madrid.

PLANTS: We have a half dozen plants and would appreciate someone who would be willing to water them once or twice a week, depending on the season.

About the location

Our apartment is located in a highly desirable neighborhood of Madrid, where people come from all around town at sunset to enjoy outdoor drinks and tapas in the long pedestrian zone that runs down the middle of our street.

A 10/10 on a walkability scale, there are small shops, bakeries, cafés, restaurants, cobblers, health-food stores, etc. up and down the street. We are located across the street from a market, 1 minute from the Ibiza metro stop, 2 minutes from the bus stop that services multiple routes, and best of all, 2 minutes from the famous Retiro park.

A jogger´s paradise, one can also just relax and enjoy the park´s remarkable peace and tranquility. Take a slow row boat ride on the lake, visit the Crystal Palace, enjoy getting up close with the wild peacocks, spend a few hours at the sunlit glass-walled park-view library, have a drink or light meal on one its café terraces, and of course stroll through the vast array of green environments that include eighty different species of trees. You´ll no doubt see free puppet shows, performers galore, and perhaps want to visit the art pavilions, or simply enjoy a picnic.

A simple stroll through the park and "ya," you´re at the famous Prado museum. The number of museums and cultural sites in easy walking distance is simply too long to list. The Royal opera house and so many other world-class venues are just a few metro or bus stops away. Alternatively, taxis in Madrid are relatively cheap.

My single (tall) bicycle and helmet would be available for your use as would a kid´s bike. If an additional two-wheeler is needed, bikes (and scooters) can easily be rented from several shops in front of the Retiro.

Needless to say, for the more young at heart, Madrid´s night life is quite frankly impressive. With that in mind, some simple things that one appreciates living in Madrid are the safety and cleanliness of the city. This is true in most every neighborhood (particularly ours) and it is true in all public transportation throughout the city. I´ve lived in Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, etc., and Madrid tops them all in terms of cleanliness, public transportation, safety and night life. So, after a night out, one can feel perfectly comfortable returning at say, 2 a.m. on foot. Of course, Madridleños tend to go home much later still.

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