Hotels in Madrid
 

We are going to be in Madrid in the beginning of January and am trying to narrow down the choice of hotels. We are four people, two adults and two teenagers, so we would need a suite or 2 rooms. I have considered the Petit Palace Londres, Jardins de Recolettos, the Vincci Soho or AC Atocha . Has anyone ever stayed at these hotels? The reviews on TA are mixed on all them except Jardin which is the priciest. We want to stay central enough to sites so we can avoid long walks in cold weather. I appreciate any insight you can offer.

Check on booking.com, the guest reviews are much more reliable here as people actually have lived there.

"Your" hotels ranked by reviews.
Jardín de Recoletos: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/jard...a=0&lang=en-gb
AC Atocha: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/ac-atocha.en.html
Vincci Soho: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/madr...cisoho.en.html
Londres: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/londres.en.html

All are centrally located and close to the area I use to stay in, but AC Atocha would be less central and a bit off where things happens.

These would be excellent two bedroom apartment options in the middle of everything:
http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...nt-4738-33.htm
http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...nt-3018-33.htm
http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...nt-4021-33.htm
http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...nt-3160-33.htm

Sorry I can't comment on any of the hotels you've recommended, but I've stayed at the Intur Palacio San Martín a couple of times and liked it very much.

Thank you all for the advice. Will check it out

Vincci Soho is great- love the neighborhood!

Kimhe... We are looking for an apartment in Madrid in April for a week - we need 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and would love a terrace. Do you know of anything like that? I see you had several 2 bedroom apartments that you suggested to cbr, so thought I'd put this out there.

Check the list of apartments at Spain Select (www.spain-select.com). They may have something you'd like.

I stayed at the Vincci Soho as well and would stay there again. The hotel is nice and the neighborhood is great - I really liked the Plaza Santa Ana. The Prado and Thysen museums are close by, Metro access is pretty good.

The Vincci Soho sounds nice, the Jardin de Recoletos received the best reviews but with two rooms was too pricey. I tried to contact them to ask for a discount but they weren't offering one. The apartments are just as expensive as two hotel rooms from what I have seen. I thought Spain would be a little less expensive at that time of year. Are the museums walking distance from Vincci Soho, what about the other Vincci hotels?

Changed my mind about the hotels. We are now looking at the Hotel Opera or Hotel Menini, which offer great rates/breakfast but they are farther away from sites. The others we are considering are Villa Real and Hotel Lope de Vega, has anyone stayed in these hotels?

cbr,

Have breakfast in a local bar outside the hotel, would give you an excellent and atmospheric start of the day. Breakfast bars/cafés in Spain are something completely of its own. Much better than a boring hotel breakfast that you can have anywhere.


PSGMARTINO
Here are some options for three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms apts in central Madrid:
http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...bedroom-33.htm

My husband and I stayed at the Jardin de Recoletos and loved it. We stayed there 4 years ago, though. I would recommend taking either a suite or a superior room! The standard rooms are not so desirable as far as the furnishings and the state of renovation are concerned. The location is excellent! It´s an upscale area with lovely bars and restaurants around.

Hotel Opera is in an excellent location, just off majestic Plaza de Oriente in front of the Royal Palace. Very walkable to the main museums, and there are lots of sights in your vecinity, the classical Madrid de las Austrias (Habsburg Madrid): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Madrid_de_los_Austrias

Thank you- We liked the Jardin de Recoletos but would need two rooms which raises the cost. A few hotels have family rooms but we have two teenagers so not sure how comfortable for for adults. My only concern about apartments are the deposits they require,I heard they refund after you leave which I am not fond of doing. Has anyone ever stayed at a Hostal type of accomodation they seem reasonable?

cbr,

I have stayed at the Villa Real. Its' a nice hotel but usually is pricey. I have stayed lately at Hotel Prado(which is affiliated with the Lope de Vega you were asking about), located one block from Villa Real. It has no bells and whistles but its very comfortable, with nice and very clean bathrooms and a great location. It offers free wifi.

Just returned from Madrid and stayed at Westin Palace. Great location, beautiful hotel, good food. Am guessing it was pricey (I did not pay/see the bill as it was part of a tour package).

Hola

Not quite sure of your budget. Hostals (something like a B&B) are a very good, cheaper alternative to hotels. I found them more personable than hotels but may not suit someone who requires something more upmarket. They generally do not provide breakfast although you're not short of eateries in Madrid. What about the well located Hostal Odesa Apartments - http://www.hostalsonsodesa.com/en/es...?wm=747&id=239.

I've stayed at Hostal Persal, as central as it gets and great value. On plaza del Angél, just off bustling Plaza Santa Ana and three minutes walking to both Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. The three grand museums are 10-15 mins walking away. Perfectly happy. http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/persalmadrid.en.html

Just got back last week and stayed at the Hostal Persal. Loved it. It's not upscale, but very nice breakfast, location and personal.

Even more great suggestions. What type of US hotel would you compare to a hostal, if that is possible? We like b&bs but this is new to us. We want someplace comfortable enough becuase the weather might be tough in the winter and we might want to bring food back. Trav el is about new experiences though!

It's just a cheap hotel, basically, usually family run. Some don't have private baths, but some do. It's just a different govt. housing category than a hotel and doesn't have the same standards. There isn't any specific category in the US with a name like that. I'd call it the same thing as a pension in Austria, for example, if you are familiar with the difference in pensions and hotels in Austria. They have their own govt star rating system (ie, a 4* pension is about the same as a 3* hotel).

There are real cheap pensions and pretty nice ones, but they don't have quite the same services as hotels and don't usually have 24 hr desk clerks, you may even be given a private key to get in and it may be in part of a regular building that has other businesses or things in it.

Here is a hostal in Madrid that has a good location and pretty much the same services as a hotel http://www.hostal-astoria.com/index.html

oh, I was comparing a hostal to an Austrian pension, pensiones in Spain are generally not as nice as hostales.

Hostal Persal in Madrid has got basic hotel standard, private bathroom, 24 h desk service and breakfast. Great location. Also an adjoining restaurant: http://www.hostalpersal.com/index.en.html

Great will check on those. I was looking at the All Seasons El Prado, any thoughts on that hotel? Great rates.

cbr, El Prado you mention is the same one I refer to in my post above. Its not a fancy hotel , but its very clean confortable and the rooms are reasonably attractive and of good size. Location is excellent a block from Plaza Santa Ana.

the 5 star deluxe gran luxe hesperia madrid is having a big sale for 99E including breakfast buffett..saw it at travelzoo.

We stayed in a great 3 bdrm 2 ba apartment in May. It is close to the Prado and is in walking distance to all the main tourist areas. If you watch Rick Steves travel show on Madrid you will see Carlos, the owner, showing Rick the sights. You can see pictures of the apartment on VRBO, listing #200710. I recommend it and would stay there again.

I stayed in the ME Reina Victoria hotel. It is in the plaza santa ana area. There is a rooftop bar that is just awesome at night to look and take pics. Very convenient area too for walking near good restaurants and bars. It is pricey though. The hotel clerk Patricia and Elena were very helpful.

We booked at the All Seasons and took two rooms. Would have liked an apartment but didn't want to deal with deposits and cleaning on the last days of the trip. Can anyone offer advise on day tours in Madrid? Perhaps something small group and informative?