Help me -- Madrid Hotel Choice
Sep 16th, 2008, 09:02 AM
#1
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Help me -- Madrid Hotel Choice
This trip is a celebration for my 60th and my husband's 70th birthday so it is special. That being said, we are looking for a 4-5 star hotel in Madrid and we only have two nights there so something convenient to most of the attractions that you can see in one a half days is essential.
Reading trip advisor comments just makes me more confused. More than anything, quiet is important so you can sleep as that is the basic reason for a hotel. Is it true that it is better to get the top of the range in a lower priced hotel than the lower range in a luxury hotel? Any comments??
So far, I have narrowed it down to ME Reina Victoria (supreme at 256 Eur)or Derby Villa Real standard at 185 Euro.
Comments about the Westin would make one think that you must go to a suite to get real quality and the Derby Urban seems to be you are paying for a lot of art on the walls and the rooms there are 250 Eur vs. the Villa Real at 185.
Ok, I know these hotel questions get tedious but it is quite a bummer to pay this much for a a hotel and not be able to sleep for the noise.
Thank you in advance.
Reading trip advisor comments just makes me more confused. More than anything, quiet is important so you can sleep as that is the basic reason for a hotel. Is it true that it is better to get the top of the range in a lower priced hotel than the lower range in a luxury hotel? Any comments??
So far, I have narrowed it down to ME Reina Victoria (supreme at 256 Eur)or Derby Villa Real standard at 185 Euro.
Comments about the Westin would make one think that you must go to a suite to get real quality and the Derby Urban seems to be you are paying for a lot of art on the walls and the rooms there are 250 Eur vs. the Villa Real at 185.
Ok, I know these hotel questions get tedious but it is quite a bummer to pay this much for a a hotel and not be able to sleep for the noise.
Thank you in advance.
Sep 16th, 2008, 09:41 AM
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kakiebell,
I know the 3 above mentioned hotels and have written short reviews of them in my Madrid guide that you can read at www.maribelsguides.com
With only 2 nights, I do think it makes very, very good sense to choose a hotel in the Barrio de las Letras, close to the museum triangle, where you can walk to do most all of your sightseeing.
We alternate between the Barrio de las Letras-museum mile and the Salamanca quarter, choosing the latter only when we don't have a heavy schedule of museums. So, I know all the hotels in both areas.
I do think that the Urban is overpriced, and the standard rooms are small, even the jr. suites run small, and some rooms can be noisy.
I personally prefer the Derby Villa Real, as it's more classic, feels more intimate and most importantly, it's a good value for the money spent. The Derby Villa Real standard rooms are split level, with sleeping area above and sofa, coffee table a step or two below, giving the room a sense of greater space. I do love their loft suites, and some jr. suites are on one level with separate living room. The Villa Real also enjoys an excellent location, right across the street from the Westin Palace and Parliament.
I also like the ME by Meliá because the rooms are super up-to-date (with that signature MAXI bar), quite luminous, very plush and surprisingly quiet given its location right on Plaza Santa Ana. But it has a younger vibe, with its Penthouse lounge and Midnight Rose bar/restaurant that attracts the young, hip and fashionable. Plus it's a slightly longer walk to the big 3 museums from the ME.
My good friends just stayed at the Westin in a standard room (at €235) and weren't particularly impressed-they were given a smallish room with old fashioned bath that could have used an up-date. I think you do need to book a superior or higher there to get more space. Yet it does have a simply gorgeous Rotunda which makes a great spot for before or after dinner drink or afternoon tea (but tea at the Ritz is even better), and they have a new (and pricey) Opera brunch.
I think you'd be happy with the Villa Real across the street-you might consider booking a jr. suite there, if there isn't a huge price difference.
Hope this helps you to decide.
I know the 3 above mentioned hotels and have written short reviews of them in my Madrid guide that you can read at www.maribelsguides.com
With only 2 nights, I do think it makes very, very good sense to choose a hotel in the Barrio de las Letras, close to the museum triangle, where you can walk to do most all of your sightseeing.
We alternate between the Barrio de las Letras-museum mile and the Salamanca quarter, choosing the latter only when we don't have a heavy schedule of museums. So, I know all the hotels in both areas.
I do think that the Urban is overpriced, and the standard rooms are small, even the jr. suites run small, and some rooms can be noisy.
I personally prefer the Derby Villa Real, as it's more classic, feels more intimate and most importantly, it's a good value for the money spent. The Derby Villa Real standard rooms are split level, with sleeping area above and sofa, coffee table a step or two below, giving the room a sense of greater space. I do love their loft suites, and some jr. suites are on one level with separate living room. The Villa Real also enjoys an excellent location, right across the street from the Westin Palace and Parliament.
I also like the ME by Meliá because the rooms are super up-to-date (with that signature MAXI bar), quite luminous, very plush and surprisingly quiet given its location right on Plaza Santa Ana. But it has a younger vibe, with its Penthouse lounge and Midnight Rose bar/restaurant that attracts the young, hip and fashionable. Plus it's a slightly longer walk to the big 3 museums from the ME.
My good friends just stayed at the Westin in a standard room (at €235) and weren't particularly impressed-they were given a smallish room with old fashioned bath that could have used an up-date. I think you do need to book a superior or higher there to get more space. Yet it does have a simply gorgeous Rotunda which makes a great spot for before or after dinner drink or afternoon tea (but tea at the Ritz is even better), and they have a new (and pricey) Opera brunch.
I think you'd be happy with the Villa Real across the street-you might consider booking a jr. suite there, if there isn't a huge price difference.
Hope this helps you to decide.
Sep 16th, 2008, 10:33 AM
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I think both the Villa Real and the Reina Victoria will be nice choices.
As far as noise, I guess it depends on where your room is placed. Is one hotel in a noisier area of town than the other??
People partying at the Reina Victoria does not bother me as long as the noise does not filter into the bedrooms.
Another decison might be which hotel is a better location to restaurants? If you do not want to eat in the hotel, does one hotel have a better location to pop out for coffee, etc.
Maribel, you are always there when I need you. Thanks!!!!
As far as noise, I guess it depends on where your room is placed. Is one hotel in a noisier area of town than the other??
People partying at the Reina Victoria does not bother me as long as the noise does not filter into the bedrooms.
Another decison might be which hotel is a better location to restaurants? If you do not want to eat in the hotel, does one hotel have a better location to pop out for coffee, etc.
Maribel, you are always there when I need you. Thanks!!!!
Sep 16th, 2008, 10:56 AM
#5
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Yes, the Reina Victoria is in a noisier part of town than the other two, being ON the Plaza Santa Ana (I guess if there are rooms facing the plaza, it could be noisy). The Westin is on a major street (set back a little), so there might be a little traffic noise, but it wouldn't bother me. The Villa Real is a block or so farther away from that main street so the noise would be even more dissipated. The Westin and the Villa Real are very near the big-3 museums.
Sep 16th, 2008, 11:05 AM
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kakiebell,
The marketing director gave us a tour of all the different types of rooms at the ME, and we remarked at how well soundproofed they are. This was during the day, but the windows are double glazed, and I haven't had any feedback about problems with noise from the guest quarters at night, although it faces squarely on the Plaza. I have heard feedback about noisy rooms at the Urban. We were far more impressed with the ME than with the Urban, and we've sent people to both.
The ME and the Villa Real are exactly 5 short blocks apart. The Villa Real sits in front of a small square, mid way between the Westin and the Carrera San Jerónimo and Parliament, and just a block from the Thyssen.
Regarding upscale dining, within walking distance of both, you have the
Cenador del Prado, which we like very, very much. Romantic at night, great value fixed price meals at lunch
the Paradís Madrid for creative catalán cuisine
the Europa Decó at the Urban (but I feel like I'm dining in a nightclub there!)
for steaks, there's the decently priced Vaca Argentina across from the Derby Villa Real.
For French bistro fare and Sun. brunch, we go to Le Petit Bistro off Plaza Matute, 1 block from the ME.
for coffee and snacks, we head to the new D.O.C.C. (great Iberian ham), right across from the Villa Real or to one of the bars that line the Plaza Santa Ana. There's also a Starbucks underneath the Westin Palace.
On Plaza Santa Ana you have a wine bar, Vinoteca Barbechera, along with the beer halls, like the Cervecería Alemana of Hemingway fame.
For great saladas and canapes, we love the Cervecería Cervantes, which is on the corner of Cervantes and Duque de Medinaceli, 5 blocks from the ME and 2 blocks from the V.R.-right across from the church. It has table seating on marble top tables and is frequented by the after mass crowd. We go early, at 1 for lunch and 8 for dinner to snag a table. You'd need a reading knowledge of Spanish though, because it doesn't get many tourists, and I don't think they have an English menu.
These are the dining options that occur to me that are easily walkable from either hotel. And the Thyssen museum has a nice cafeteria.
If you're interested in flamenco, Casa Patas is a short stroll from the ME.
Hope this helps.
The marketing director gave us a tour of all the different types of rooms at the ME, and we remarked at how well soundproofed they are. This was during the day, but the windows are double glazed, and I haven't had any feedback about problems with noise from the guest quarters at night, although it faces squarely on the Plaza. I have heard feedback about noisy rooms at the Urban. We were far more impressed with the ME than with the Urban, and we've sent people to both.
The ME and the Villa Real are exactly 5 short blocks apart. The Villa Real sits in front of a small square, mid way between the Westin and the Carrera San Jerónimo and Parliament, and just a block from the Thyssen.
Regarding upscale dining, within walking distance of both, you have the
Cenador del Prado, which we like very, very much. Romantic at night, great value fixed price meals at lunch
the Paradís Madrid for creative catalán cuisine
the Europa Decó at the Urban (but I feel like I'm dining in a nightclub there!)
for steaks, there's the decently priced Vaca Argentina across from the Derby Villa Real.
For French bistro fare and Sun. brunch, we go to Le Petit Bistro off Plaza Matute, 1 block from the ME.
for coffee and snacks, we head to the new D.O.C.C. (great Iberian ham), right across from the Villa Real or to one of the bars that line the Plaza Santa Ana. There's also a Starbucks underneath the Westin Palace.
On Plaza Santa Ana you have a wine bar, Vinoteca Barbechera, along with the beer halls, like the Cervecería Alemana of Hemingway fame.
For great saladas and canapes, we love the Cervecería Cervantes, which is on the corner of Cervantes and Duque de Medinaceli, 5 blocks from the ME and 2 blocks from the V.R.-right across from the church. It has table seating on marble top tables and is frequented by the after mass crowd. We go early, at 1 for lunch and 8 for dinner to snag a table. You'd need a reading knowledge of Spanish though, because it doesn't get many tourists, and I don't think they have an English menu.
These are the dining options that occur to me that are easily walkable from either hotel. And the Thyssen museum has a nice cafeteria.
If you're interested in flamenco, Casa Patas is a short stroll from the ME.
Hope this helps.
