Apartments in Madrid and Barcelona.

Check airbnb. I just found a great stay in Washington, DC for October and have now reserved it. Plus I am watching a full apartment in Medellin, Colombia for next May and another in Zaragoza, Spain for October/November which both look like a perfect one for me. When you reserve on airbnb you do have to pay however. But you can add those of interest to a "wish list."

If you google "apartments in Madrid" you will get a whole page of listings that offer vacation rentals of apartments in Madrid (same for Barcelona). Go With Oh (gowithoh.com) has some beautiful places in great locations all over Madrid.

I've just returned from Barcelona, and I noticed a leaflet in the tourist office about not staying in illegal accommodations. This confirms earlier reports here that Barcelona is trying to discourage unofficial/unlicensed apartment rentals.

www.cross-pollinate.com is a selective agency that works in Barcelona but not Madrid.

I found great Apartments listed for both Madrid and Barcelona on Airbandb. Very Reasonable prices with very nice amenities offered. I picked from several Madrid Apartments located near the Prado Museum and El Retiro Park. In Barcelona look at El Born or the Gothic Quarter. They have maps pictures of the Apartments and reviews from people that have stayed there. Go to: www.airbandb.com

... just so you know: Airbnb and Homeaway do still continue to offer a large number of non-licensed apartments in their listings, and the Barcelona City Hall is getting tough on this issue: http://www.thelocal.es/20160629/barcelona-to-raise-fine-for-illegal-home-rental-lodgings-to-600000

We just spent four nights in Barcelona through Stay U-nique. We rented an apartment with two bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, balcony, washer, equipped kitchen, and living dining room. Great location and we paid 234 euros. Found them on Booking.com and highly recommend.

We used Spain select in Madrid and had a wonderful apartment; I'd use them again in a heartbeat. The place was beautiful, beautifully prepared, and the management of it and key handoff etc went smoothly.