trvlgrl

Hi - I will be at a conference in Madrid in early December, and my husband and 18month old daughter will join me at the end for a long weekend in Madrid. The conference will be at the airport hotel (so we obviously don't want to stay there). Do you friendly Fodorites have any recommendations? Somewhere relatively quiet, relatively central, child friendly - possibly with a playground nearby, and not too expensive... I was hoping for about Euros100 per night. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

TopMan

ttt

Robert2533

There are some limits, but you can check with the Hotel Suecia****, C/Marques de casa Riera 4. It was recently renovated, is a centrally located that should be within your budget. It's also an excellent hotel for you and your family.

The Hotel Villa Real is also centrally located at Plaza De Las Cortes,10, but is a little more expensive, but not that much more and may be worth checking out.

Both of these hotels are close to the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia Museums, the triangle.

I can't be sure about a playground nearby, but the hotel will be able to tell you.

Frances

I visited Spain with our 2 year old and was struck by the fact that even though you ask for a room for 3 a third bed was not provided . I can only presume that in Spain children of that age always share the parents' bed.
In Madrid we stayed in a hotel absolutely in the heart of the city which for some reason had no traffic noise at all. I'm sorry that I can't remember the name of it or even exactly where it is but it remains in my memory as being so quiet.

trvlgrl

Thanks. I'm not worried about the extra bed, as she can always sleep with us. Villa Real looks lovely, but it probably a bit more than we want to spend being closer to Euro 200 per night. I looked on Tripadvisor and Hotel Suecia got mixed reviews, we may want to look for something else. Has anyone stayed at any of the Apartment-Hotels in Madrid? What did you think of those? Which area would you recommend. I think Saturday will be a Prado day, then Sunday and Monday will be open for wandering, Thyssen, Retiro park, Palace, etc. So I guess ideally we would like to stay within walking distance to the Prado. Any further suggestions?

Chele60

I am in the midst of planning a trip to Spain, so I have no information regarding hotels and such. However, in my research so far on Madrid, it appears that almost everything (Prado, Palacio Real, Thyssen, and other museums are closed on Mondays. Retiro is open, however.

Not sure what these might be worth (I am not going with any children, but I stumbled across this information): Museo de Cera de Madrid (Wax Museum)and Zoo Aquarium de la Casa de Campo. All appear to be open on Monday. It also appears children your daughter's age would be admitted for free.

Enjoy!

Robert2533

You man want to check out the following web site which lists a fair amount of apartments hotels in Madrid for long or short term use. One of these may fit your needs.

http://www.apartments2book.com/madrid.htm

MFNYC

CHeck out Best Western Carlos V. It's walking distant from most sites (Madrid is rather small and their bus and metro system are very easy to navigate). This is in the busy city center area near Plaza Mayor. There are other Best Westerns that may also be worth looking into.

Retiro Park is a great place to take a toddler. In April (when we were there with our teens), there were cartoon type characters dressed up, balloon artists, and other children friendly activity around the pond with the paddle boats. I'm sure they have playgrounds in there too.

Robert2533

"Madrid is rather small " would come as quite a surprise to the nearly 3,000,000 inhabitants who live in the city. When you add in those living in the surrounding province, the numbers swell to more then 5 million, nearly 15% of the entire population.

MFNYC

WHen I said 'rather small', i meant very compact, particularly the city center where most tourist sites are. We were able to walk almost everywhere. Granted, we live in NYC and do lots of walking daily. But compared to cities like London, and Paris, I did found Madrid, much smaller.

Christina

It's just a matter of perception, I guess, as to how large a city is, and depends how much of it you really see. Madrid doesn't seem smaller than Paris or London to me, but most tourists don't cover very large areas of any city.

I was going to suggest the Hotel Opera, a nice 3* near Plaza Oriente and there is a very small park/playground right in front of it, as I recall. However, I think being near Retiro Park is a good idea for you. A lot of hotels are more expensive over that way -- the most expensive 5* ones are over there, and a lot of 4*, also. I think one of the best more modest 3* hotels might be the Hotel Ingles and could be good for you. I know they have triples and I think are around the rate you want. That hotel is only a few blocks from the Prado, to the west down carrera de San Jeronimo (the address is on Echegaray). It has some good comments on Tripadvisor and other places if you search.

lincasanova

wouldn't you rather have an apt. with kitchen?
check out apartamento quo galeon.
or apartamentos eraso. both well located.

trvlgrl

Just a quick follow-up... We stayed at an aparthotel recommended by Fodors... great location, super friendly place and good food. I think it was los Jeronimos. Also, I just have to say how nice it was to travel in Spain with our little girl. People were so nice and accomodative wherever we went. We had heard this was true, but until you experience first-hand how welcoming the Spaniards are to children it is hard to believe, restaurants, museums, shops, you name it. Very different to what we have experienced in Paris.