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Madrid airport at night - how to pass the time

Madrid airport at night - how to pass the time

Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 02:39 PM
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Madrid airport at night - how to pass the time

65 year old woman has a long layover at Madrid airport : 9 PM to 10 AM. She does not want to leave the airport. Any suggestions on what it is like there at night and what she might do to pass the time safely ? Flying on Iberia airlines. is it possible to pay to spend time in the VIP lounge ? Other ideas ?
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 03:35 PM
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Seriously, that is 13 hours! At the airport - yikes. She may not want to leave the airport, but it would be so much more pleasant to grab a taxi to a nearby hotel and get a good nights sleep. She could be at a hotel and comfortably in bed by 10:30, sweet and nice and safe. Have a quick breakfast at the hotel the next morning before a taxi to airport.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 03:44 PM
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And the reason for not wanting to leave the airport is?

The VIP lounge open 24hrs is Cibeles on T1 on non-Schengen side http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/...0/Cibeles.html

Apparently, you can "buy" VIP pass http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/...P-Lounges.html. I have not done it, but I don't like the wordings "Bookings by bank transfer."
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 04:38 PM
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Spending the entire night in the airport strikes me as being extremely foolhardy - potentially dangerous, definitely uncomfortable - and if the VIP lounge is not open for some reason (could be a million reasons) or you can;t get in - the police won't want you just to sit there overnight - may well require you to leave.

Definitely get a room at a nearby hotel and get a decent dinner and a decent night's sleep.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 04:41 PM
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It has been a number of years since I was at the Madrid airport. You should check into the terminal where she will
be spending her time. The newest terminal is quite nice and I
think a lot of the international flights arrive and depart from there. We had a terrible time with an unexpected delay of
several hours at one of the older terminals -inadequate seating, little food to be had, rude personnel etc. It was the
terminal from which UNited/Aer Lingus operates. It was a nightmare.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 05:01 PM
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I cannot imagine any danger inside the Madrid airport, which is spectacular, but I certainly would not hang around there for 13 hours. I highly doubt, however, that anyone would forbid you from spending the night if you are so inclined.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 06:49 PM
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The first thing I would do is fire my travel agent. But wait, you probably booked this flight on your own leaving no one to blame for such a ridiculous connection. You've ended up wasting an entire day when you could be enjoying your precious moments.

If you haven't been in the Cibeles lounge at T1, it's not much, even during the busiest time of the day. I can only imagine what it's like between midnight and 06:00.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 08:05 PM
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Thank you for the links Greg. I notice there are Schengen and non-Schengen lounges. The Schengen lounge is open 24 hours a day. Is the Schengen lounge only for citizens of Eurozone ?

Any one ever use one of these lounges ?

Any one know any thing about Iberia Airlines lounge ?
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Old Apr 24th, 2014, 04:36 AM
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I would call Iberia and ask if there is any way you could pay or use points to enter their lounge.
Do you have points with any airline?
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Old Jun 30th, 2014, 04:13 AM
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My friend decided to take the advice of Sassafras and get a hotel which worked out well. She booked a very nice room with breakfast at the Husa Hotel Nueva Boston which is a few minutes from the airport. After going through customs, with the help of friendly Spaniard, she called the hotel, took the shuttle to and from the airport and had a comfortable night. Planning ahead was important as she learned later that taxis were quoting really high prices for a ride to a hotel.
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Old Jun 30th, 2014, 06:59 AM
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When booking airport hotels in Madrid it is important to know the HOURS of the shuttles. Some are much shorter than others and I think NONE are all night long, if needed. You can find this info on the hotel's own website but sometimes not on third party sites. Madrid is one of the most reasonable airport areas for hotels, since there is an abundance of them. Unless there is a trade fair going on ( which is near the airport) you can sleep very nicely in a 3 or 4 star hotel for 50E in most cases.
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Old Jun 30th, 2014, 07:59 AM
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Glad it worked out so well. Thanks for the update.
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