Good Hotels in Madrid
 

Can anyone recommend a hotel in Madrid. We've never been to Spain and would like to stay in a hotel that is central to the main attractions, clean and relatively cheap - approx. $130 CAD/night.

We stayed at Hotel Plaza Mayor, and thought it was a great deal for the price. I assume you are talking Canadian dollars, which would be about 85 Euros a night, which is about what the Plaza mayor ran. It's a small hotel in a great location (just outside Plaza Mayor), with a helpful staff. The rooms were small, and the matresses were on the thin side, but we had a great view from our window, and it was quiet.

I would recommend Suites El Prado or
Hotel El Prado. Two different hotel
but one block from each other. (nor do have any connection to each other. They are both off of Calle del Prado.) You can get suites at the Suites El Prado and regular rooms at Hotel El Prado. Internet access at the latter. Great location near the Palace Hotel at 1/3 of the price. Check Trip Advisor for
reviews there.

The following recommendations are from Maribel's Guide to Madrid:

Moderate (from 100-135 euros):

3-star Hotel Residencia Galiano, Alcalá Galiano, 6, near Plaza Colón.

3-star Hotel Opera, Cuesta de Santo Domingo, 2, is in old Madrid adjacent to Teatro Real and Royal Palace and the handy Opera metro stop but on a small side street.

3-star Hotel Mario, Campomanes, 4, formerly HH Campomanes, near the Opera. Great location.

3-star Hotel Meninas, 34-room “budget with style” sister to the Hotel Opera on Campomanes, 7, in same great location near Palacio Real, just opened in June.

4-star Hotel Suecia, Marqués de Casa Riera, 4, can be booked on the web through www.expedia.com or www.utell.com often for a great rate.

I can recommend the 3 star Hotel Carlos V, very close to the Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. It should be close to your budget, perhaps a bit higher than $130 CAD.

Following up on Robert's recommendations, be sure to print off Maribel's guide to Madrid from her website: www.maribelsguides.com. Wonderful, wonderful advice on everything. Easy to print, highlight and throw in your carry-on.

We stayed at the Intur Palacio San Martin, also listed in Maribel's guide, in May for something like 100E a night. The location was fantastic -- right in the heart of where you want to be, in between Sol and Gran Via (a stones throw from El Corte Ingles department store for those last minute gifts or virtually anything else you might need on your trip) and close to Opera, yet on a very quiet little plaza. The rooms were lovely as was the hotel in general. It thought it was a great deal.

Here's the website:
http://www.hotelinturpalacio.com/

Whoops -- just noticed your price was Canadian$$, so this might be a little high?

If you don't mind walking up stairs, my favorite bargain (58E for a double! and neat as a pin) in Madrid is Hostal Adriano:
http://www.adrianohostal.com/ingles/index.html
I've detailed it's pros and cons on here before, you can do a search if it looks interesting to you.

Have a wonderful time!!

I recommend both the Carlos V and the Hotel Plaza Mayor. I stayed at the Carlos twice this year and liked it very much. My friend was at the Hotel Plaza Mayor one of the times I was there, so I got a good look at it, too. You cannot beat the location of either one. The Carlos V includes internet and breakfast and has a nice lounge area, so I would prefer it.