How long will you be there?

Can you rent a short-term apartment? That would be especially helpful with 2 young children. Eat breakfast at home, place to rest in the afternoon, etc.

You can usually find apartments for 3 days or more.

Try doing a search on Madrid apartments here on fodors.com.

I'm sure others will chime in with specific sites to check.

Enjoy!

How do you plan to travel - train, bus, car? It makes a difference. IMO it would be a waste to stay out near the airport - when you return from your day trip, then what? Why not stay in one of the towns that you wish to visit, for example Toledo. That is a place that takes on a very different character at night and it is a shame that so many tourists miss that.

Car.... I've looked at staying in cities we.plan to visit but most don't offer quad rooms. i never realized how hard quad rooms were room find.

not knowing your dates, I checked just one site, hotels.com and they had places in Toledo that match your needs. Also, many hotels offer roll away beds but that would mean the room must be large enough to accommodate them. An apartment though would be ideal. Google holiday apartments Toledo Spain and you will find many listings.

Hi, kristina,
I understand your situation, but I can't imagine going to Madrid and spending my time out at the airport. Though you may have a hard time finding quad rooms, many hotels have connecting rooms and you can have the doors open between the two. You will miss out on so much if you stay out by the airport. And since you want to take day trips that are both to the north and to the south of Madrid, you will waste a lot of time traveling to the train station to get to your destination.

I don't usually inject a recommendation into a request for information, but I really think that you will be much happier if you find a hotel in central Madrid that has connecting rooms. Or as another poster recommended, you should look for an apartment. I have rented apartments in several European capitals, and it has always been a terrific experience.

Good luck with this!

An apartment will be 1) cheaper, 2) larger, 3) in the center of the city.

Staying out near the airport is a terrible idea IMO.

Anyone have a specific apartment they can recommend?

It's been ten years, but we stayed in a simple apartment here for a few days. It still gets pretty good reviews in general on Trip Advisor and it is certainly moderately priced and well-located.

Apartamentos Principe 11
http://www.atprincipe11.com/

The Principe apts are still around but the only thing I would not like is the noise from the street.So definitely would request the suite or the family apt. in the back.The suite even has a terrace for you to enjoy.Thre's a playground in Plaza Santa Ana a minute away.Great bread shop on the corner!
Another option are the apts on Cervantes called Dulcineap,quieter street and there's a playground about 2 minutes away

A budget would be very helpful as there are a lot of choices when it comes to apartments in Madrid.

If you are considering staying outside of the city, in the countryside, you might want to look into staying in a country home, a casa rural, which can be rented short term as a whole house rental or rooms (B&B style).

If you do stay outside of Madrid, you should look for someplace close to the rail line so that you can get into and out of Madrid easily, leaving the car behind for the day.