jennyk12

Family and I are traveling in Spain for 2 weeks in early April and attending several specific events so our travel dates are not very flexible. We have a rental car for the whole time.

Several of us will fly into Madrid and drive to south of Spain to attend an event in Carmona and 2 of us will use Carmona as home base to sight see the south of Spain. After that event in Carmona we will return to Madrid to pick up another member of our party at the airport. Our hope is to spend 2 nights in Madrid area and see Madrid. Before we travel to the Basque region to attend another family event the following weekend in Saint Jean du Luz (France).

I am looking for recommendations of places to stay mid trip, 2 nights, around Madrid where we can keep the car, but also have easy access into Madrid for sight seeing and dinners. The airport hotels don't seem very appealing. Any ideas

Robert2533

Drop the car off when you arrive in Madrid and pick up another one when you leave, saving the cost of parking for two days. Taxis are inexpensive. The city bus and metro both work well.

If you want to see Madrid, then you should stay in Madrid. There are a number of good options, but any recommendation would depend on how many are in your group and your budget.

Also note that lunch is typically the main meal of the day in Madrid and elsewhere (1:30 to 4:00). Dinner is generally served later in the evening, after 8:30 in most places, but even later in the south.

Also note that dining times are quite different from what you will find in Spain and the French Basque Country, where lunch is usually between 11:45 am and 2:00 pm, but dinner is served earlier, usually starting around 8:00.

Reservations are always recommend, lunch or dinner.

Christina

I'd jut probably pick some suburban hotel close to a metro stop in the NE direction (San Blas, Arturo Soria, Hortalenza, etc.). I think most of those hotels will be modern chains of some kind, although those are the kind with better facilities.

This place, for example, is more like an upscale B&B but it's not that close to a metro stop (and their website doesn't say if they have parking or not) http://www.hotellaquintadeloscedros.com/

I don't know if yo uwant to be closer in to Madrid or not, here's a more traditiona flavor hotel near Chamartin, they do have paid parking and are near a metro stop http://www.hoteldonpio.com/

Robert2533

Quinta de los Cedros offers parking at 18€/day plus VAT. The nearest metro stop is Arturo Soria (line 4) at about a 15-min walk. There is also bus service close by.

kimhe

Perhaps stay in quite beautiful and interesting Alcalá de Henares (Cervantes birthplace, UNESCO World Heritage site etc), trains to Central Madrid take some 30 mins and leave every ten minutes or so.
http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres...e_henares.html
http://www.turismoalcala.es/