Dave

Looking for the "Best Hotel in Spain"<BR><BR>I'm not talking most expesive, but<BR>Who offers the best value!<BR>Who is located in the best location!<BR>Who offers the best service!<BR>Who you would stay at the next time in town!<BR>Which online service have you found to offer the best prices on hotels?

David

That is the "Best Hotel in MADRID"

Maribel

Best value, mid-range (around $100), in downtown Madrid:<BR>Best Western Hotel Opera <BR>Best Western Carlos III<BR>Hotel Suecia<BR><BR>Hotel Opera, on a relatively quiet side street very near a metro stop, the Royal Opera House and Royal Palace (beautiful area at night-great location) For the low price, a rather spiffy British Hunt polo theme decor, pleasant rooms but only with twin beds (but can push them together), immaculate baths, adjacent cafe with singing waiters. Easy walking to Plaza Mayor, plenty of great restaurants, tapas bars in the neighborhood. <BR><BR>Carlos III on a pedestrian street in the heart of the Puerta del Sol area-right in the midst of all the hustle and bustle and adjacent to the huge El Corte Ingles shopping complex, but with quiet rooms, some with balconies-family owned, has been around for years. A Fodor and Karen Brown favorite.<BR><BR>Suecia is in a a fifties-looking grey building tucked behind the Thyssen Museum on a quiet street with little traffic but a very convenient location, easily walkable to Old Madrid, recently renovated, nice decor, non-smoking and executive rooms, rooftop solarium, good Bellman restaurant, amazing value for a 4 star. Utell.com has a current 88 euro rate, and I've seen low rates here thru Expedia as well. Read all about it at www.hotelsuecia.com Of the three, this is the one I would choose for more bang for my buck.<BR><BR>If I were needing a good-value, mid-range, dependable downtown hotel convenient for sightseeing, you can't miss with one of those 3.<BR><BR>For a pampering, Old World European, Grand Dame palace experience (with prices to match), I'd choose the beautiful Belle Epoque Westin Palace or the Ritz (Royal Meridien). They are considered downtown Madrid's "best hotels", as in finest, most luxurious, along with the newish boutique-like Villa Real, next door to the Palace.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

xxxx

Isn't it Carlos V????

OLGA

Some great deals can be found through<BR>the www.solmelia.com webpage, the Melia<BR>chain has some great hotels all over Spain, a lot of them are typical business hotels, some of which are very<BR>"seventies" and have seen better days,<BR>like the Melia Castilla in Madrid, but <BR>I have found a $72 rate for December<BR>at the Melia Reina Victoria, a beatiful<BR>building from the 20´s in the middle <BR>of the nicest dining area, in Old Madrid, 10 min. walk to the Prado and Plaza Mayor, and a famous bullfighter´s<BR>hangout. 4 stars.<BR><BR>But if you really want the Best Hotel<BR>in Spain, you probably need to go to<BR>the Hacienda Benazuza or Alfonso XIII<BR>in Seville, or to any of the 5 star<BR>hotels in the Southern coast, specially<BR>the Puente Romano in Marbella or the<BR>Almenara in Sotogrande.<BR>

Maribel

Hi Dave,<BR>Don't go looking for a Carlos III.<BR>Yep, xxx, it sure is the Carlos V. Please make that V,V,V,V!!! (and I've know it since '70-another sr. moment!)<BR><BR>Your best rate there (and at the Opera) might just be thru www.bestwestern.com-their rates often include brk. and VAT.<BR><BR>About the Madrid Melias:<BR>As Olga says, the Melia chain does offer some great wkd./holiday rates and slashes rates dramatically for their Madrid properties from July 15 thru Aug in Madrid. The huge, impersonal Melia Castilla is not at all convenient for sightseeing for a short stay in Madrid, being way, way up in the far northern business section of the city, right now the bullfighters' haunt, the Reina Victoria has major construction going on around it on the Plaza Santa Ana, which is fenced in, (but once this work is finished, it would be a very convenient choice - ask for an interior rm, as this area is surrouned with late-night bars/clubs), and the Melia Madrid is in Arguelles, not Madrid's quietest or most attractive area. For a wkd. stay, your best Melia bet, I think for now, is the Melia Confort Los Galgos in the Barrio Salamanca, near the American Embassy and elegant shops of Serrano. It's a 4 star with very comfortable rooms and sparkling, modern baths (immaculate housekeeping) and a huge brk. buffet. We've stayed there often on wkds. and July/Aug, when the rates can be as low as $70. We've always had great service and a very pleasant, predictable stay. <BR>A caveat: it's not within easy walking distance of Old Madrid and doesn't have a metro stop nearby, but you can hop on bus #9 on Serrano, getting of at Plaza Canovas de Castillo, or take a 10-15 min taxi ride to the Museum Triangle (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofia) then walk Old Madrid from there. <BR><BR><BR>