madrid hotels

CENTRAL SPAIN HOTELS

CASTILLA Y LEON • CASTILLA-LA MANCHA EXTREMADURA • MADRID

TOWNS AND SLEEPY villages dot Central Spain’s unspoilt landscape of mountains, lakes, olive trees, orchards and almond groves. As in the North, old buildings such as mills and castles, townhouses and country posadas, have been skilfully converted to hotels and paradors. For sheer size, there is little that can equal the monumental castle parador at Sigüenza. But for romance, few places can compare with the former monastery at Chichón with its beautiful courtyard – a feature of so many Spanish buildings. The capital, Madrid, is set at the heart of the country. The city’s hotels range from the gloriously restored Ritz to a peaceful 1930s villa with a pretty garden setting.

MADRID HOTELS

Best Western Hotel Carlos V It looks like any other slick city hotel but, family-run, this one has a heart, as well as a beautifully furnished lounge. Maestro Victoria 5, 28013 Madrid.

Conde de Orgaz A modern hotel with wellappointed bedrooms, handy for the airport and the Campo de las Naciones Exhibition Centre. Avenida Moscatelar 24, 28043 Madrid.

Emperatriz Hotel This large hotel with pale decoration and upholstered furniture manages to create an oasis of calm in the city centre. López de Hoyos 4, 28006 Madrid.

Gran Hotel Tryp Reina Victoria Ernest Hemingway stayed in this grand hotel, which has a plush modern interior and marble hall. Plaza de Santa Ana 14, 28012 Madrid.

Husa Princesa Hotel This modern five-star hotel has terrific amenities, from piano bar to aerobics room, and a great location for sightseeing.

Melia Barajas Hotel Well outside the city centre, but conveniently near the airport, Barajas is a useful stopover hotel with a pool, gym and golf course. Avenida de Logroño 305, 28042 Madrid.

Santo Domingo Hotel A step from Plaza de España, a hotel of pastel tones, marble floors, deep carpets and trendy furnishings in differently styled rooms. Plaza de Santo Domingo 13, 28013 Madrid. Map

Mónaco Hotel Famous for putting up King Alfonso XIII in the early 1900s and for a stint as the city’s most upmarket brothel. Barbieri 5, 28004 Madrid.

Palace Hotel Haunt of the famous – from matadors to politicians – and the infamous (Mata Hari allegedly stayed here). The Palace matches the Ritz (see right) in grandeur; perhaps because it’s much larger, service is not as personal. But it’s worth a visit just to see the magnificent Art Nouveau rotunda with its Neo-Classical columns. Plaza de las Cortes 7, 28014 Madrid.

Ritz Hotel The Madrid Ritz has been tending to the whims of the wealthy since 1910, when it was built at the instigation of King Alfonso XIII. Public rooms are furnished with priceless carpets and tapestries, the spacious bedrooms with antiques. All this and faultless service make this Ritz one of Spain’s top hotels. Plaza de la Lealtad 5, 28014 Madrid.

La Residencia de El Viso Hotel If Madrid’s large hotels leave you cold, try this delightful 1930s villa with a quiet garden. Once inside, you can hardly believe that the location is so central. The bedrooms have co-ordinating fabrics; public rooms have high-backed chairs upholstered in red. Classic local dishes feature on the menu. Nervión 8, 28002 Madrid.

AC Santo Mauro Hotel Behind wrought-iron gates, an impressive, French-designed late 19th-century palace houses this luxurious hotel, with new annexe. With its stucco and original features intact, sophisticated modern furniture and decoration have been introduced to great effect, using marble, stained oak, wild silk and velvet. Zurbano 36, 28010 Madrid.

Serrano Hotel A brutally modern façade masks a bright, exclusive hotel with period furniture and welcome personal touches. Marqués de Villamejor 8, 28006 Madrid.

RASCAFRÍA

Santa María de El Paular Hotel Guests share this tasteful 14th-century monastery at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama with Benedictine monks. Carretera M-604 km 26,500, 28741 Rascafría, Madrid.boutique hotel madrid

MADRID

Suite Prado Specialist hotel with glossy modern apartments and room service. Baby-blue carpets and pastel armchairs are typical of the style. Manuel Fernández y González 10, 28014 Madrid.

MADRID

Wellington Hotel The bullfighting fraternity has long been associated with this genteel 1950s hotel. Top-floor bedrooms have private terraces.One of the boutique hotels madrid.