Villafranca

Villafranca: Madrid

It's not every day that you get to stay somewhere quite like Villafranca. From the large seventeenth-century stone wall to the escape tunnel that doubles as a coffee table, the exposed wooden beams to the double height ceilings – history and character really are everywhere you look. We're not sure how practical the door that's been upcycled into a dining table will be for eating but, as it's located in central La Latina, there's no shortage of tapas restaurants, beautiful gardens, and food markets nearby.

Home truths:
*The open-plan ground floor backs directly onto a shared and relatively cluttered courtyard which might be a privacy issue for some

*The kitchen's basic provision of ingredients and crockery isn't spectacular, and the absence of a working oven or generous workspace makes it less than ideal for preparing elaborate dinners

*At a mere 2mbps, the WIFI connection slow and patchy in some areas

*Without an air conditioning unit, the apartment may feel a little stuffy – especially during the swelteringly hot summer months

* While five of the guests will be sleeping on the mezzanine, two will need to settle for the sofa bed below them

*The bathroom in the main house on the ground floor has a small leak