Loft Plaza Mayor Apt - just back, review
Feb 26th, 2010, 12:34 PM
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Loft Plaza Mayor Apt - just back, review
Just returned last night from 10 days in Madrid. We had a wonderful time despite the horrible soggy weather and we really enjoyed the apartment and the conveniences of having a kitchen plus all the extra space. Full trip report to follow once I get my pics sorted!
We stayed at the Loft Plaza Mayor, arranged through the Hotel Plaza Mayor. Be aware this is not the loft (penthouse) room that's in the hotel and available to reserve (I was confused by the use of "loft" in both names originally; this is a separate, 1BR apartment approximately 1 block away.) There is a link to the apartment's website from the hotel's website, http://www.h-plazamayor.com/index.html
Please see my photos at: http://travel.webshots.com/album/576862987wNujtf for shots of the apartment and the view. I apologize for the varying quality and lighting - some are from the iPhone, from from a nicer camera; some when we first checked in, some our last day. (My US AIR Envoy pics are in another album on my Webshots page if interested, fight review already posted to FlyerTalk in the US forum.)
We used Aerocity to transfer from the ariport to the hotel with no problems, reserved online prior to arrival. Our shared van service was €23 as quoted, paid in cash to the driver, and we waited maybe 10-15 minutes before the van showed up at the airport.
We checked in at the Hotel Plaza Mayor in the driving rain, after a long overnight flight. The apartment was €80/night and we prepaid as arranged in cash (we had reserved online via credit card, but the balance was to be paid in cash). We provided our passport for identification, were handed a set of two keys (one for the front door, one for the apartment itself) and given directions to walk up the block. We were not escorted to the apartment as I'd been told in a prior email, which was a bit of a bummer, but in all honesty we were so soaked and tired we didn't think to complain or question.
The front desk staff at the hotel were wonderful. As a guest of the apartment you have free access to the hotel's WiFi, the ability to purchase their breakfast buffet if you wish, and we took regular advantage of the front desk staff several times for directions and reservations, as well as to set up our cab ride back to the airport. We saw the same 4-5 employees on rotation throughout our stay and all were incredibly helpful and spoke very good English.
The building is very centrally located on this side of Madrid a, really fantastic spot no more than 2 blocks from the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, or the Plaza de Santa Ana. We also found it quite easy to walk to both the Palace and to the Prado, although the rain curtailed our walking a bit later in the week, and we relied on the Metro.
What was a bit funny to us was seeing what amenities were provided vs what was missing. Upon arrival we took stock of 3 shower caps, 5 packets of shampoo, dozens of mints, an ashtray, some bars of soap and toilet paper. We also had pots/dishes/silverware, clothes detergent, dish soap, clothespins and a corkscrew (yay.) Some kind person also left us oil, vinegar, sugar, coffee, salt/pepper and a head of garlic that was looking a little long in the tooth.
Missing (and missed) were a dish drainer/rack ("No problem," said the husband, "I'll dry the dishes on paper towels. Oh, wait...."), paper towels, a sharp knife ("I've manged to cut myself but not the chicken.") and a clock of any kind. Anywhere. Not even on the stove. We clung to our iPhone, discombobulated as to the time more often than not.
Also missing was any kind of oven mitt, which made getting hot things out of said oven kind of tricky. We didn't have any kind of kettle or teapot either, but there was a neato stovetop coffee pot that we worked to death as it only made one cup at a time, and we simply boiled our tea water in a pot.
The bed is very small, a full vs a queen, and the combination of 6'4" husband with tiny bed in a strange place was not a great one. After one fitful night, we actually did a little rearranging that greatly improved matters. There is a single bed in the living room, to the right of the couch. We removed one nightstand from the bedroom, slid the other and the bed over as far as they would go, and slid the single bed in next to the full. Voila, ersatz king-size bed!
El Cortes Ingles is right at Sol, open all hours, and has everything you might need from paper towels to a new umbrella to chorizo. Our regular shopping trips were an awful lot of fun, especially noting the wine section in that small grocery store rivals some of our state stores here in PA.
What we loved about the apartment: The hotel staff and having the WiFi available; being able to cook meals; the strong water pressure; the extra space to spread out; the balcony and the view; the privacy; the experience; the neighborhood.
What we didn't love about the apartment: We never received clean towels or sheets after 1 week that we'd expected; there were no instructions for the washing machine and it ran very, very slow - at least 2 hours for a full cycle, no matter the setting; the apartment was clean at arrival except for the floor - by the second day we noticed the bottom of my socks were black. My husband attacked the floor with a broom but we couldn't find a mop and did our best with paper towels. The hot water also isn't super hot, which drove my husband insane but bothered me less.
The television also only got 4 channels but, amazingly, our portable CD player worked when hooked up to the TV. My husband kept insisting it shouldn't work, due to "X type of signal in Y country, and type of transmissions", but there it was. Even after he hooked it up, he couldn't believe it worked and kept shaking his head. I didn't quite understand why it shouldn't have worked, but I was glad it did. We had brought a small CD folder with DVD's and we were really glad to have them.
Staying in an apartment in a strange country isn't for everyone. I admit that I got tired of clothes not drying in the very damp weather, and the clothesline is in the bathroom which can get in the way. When you don't have a car and you're walking for groceries, you have to plan exactly what you can buy by how much you're willing to carry (especially in the driving rain.) You'll also spend your last night of your vacation cleaning up and doing dishes instead of mulling the amount of the tip to leave for housekeeping.
However, the positive greatly outshined the negative. All in all, it really was a great experience for us and we were very pleased with the apartment and everyone we dealt with among the staff. It is a very safe residential building, occupied mostly by young hip professionals in such a great area. For the price, I would highly recommend this location if you prefer what an apartment can offer over a hotel room.
We stayed at the Loft Plaza Mayor, arranged through the Hotel Plaza Mayor. Be aware this is not the loft (penthouse) room that's in the hotel and available to reserve (I was confused by the use of "loft" in both names originally; this is a separate, 1BR apartment approximately 1 block away.) There is a link to the apartment's website from the hotel's website, http://www.h-plazamayor.com/index.html
Please see my photos at: http://travel.webshots.com/album/576862987wNujtf for shots of the apartment and the view. I apologize for the varying quality and lighting - some are from the iPhone, from from a nicer camera; some when we first checked in, some our last day. (My US AIR Envoy pics are in another album on my Webshots page if interested, fight review already posted to FlyerTalk in the US forum.)
We used Aerocity to transfer from the ariport to the hotel with no problems, reserved online prior to arrival. Our shared van service was €23 as quoted, paid in cash to the driver, and we waited maybe 10-15 minutes before the van showed up at the airport.
We checked in at the Hotel Plaza Mayor in the driving rain, after a long overnight flight. The apartment was €80/night and we prepaid as arranged in cash (we had reserved online via credit card, but the balance was to be paid in cash). We provided our passport for identification, were handed a set of two keys (one for the front door, one for the apartment itself) and given directions to walk up the block. We were not escorted to the apartment as I'd been told in a prior email, which was a bit of a bummer, but in all honesty we were so soaked and tired we didn't think to complain or question.
The front desk staff at the hotel were wonderful. As a guest of the apartment you have free access to the hotel's WiFi, the ability to purchase their breakfast buffet if you wish, and we took regular advantage of the front desk staff several times for directions and reservations, as well as to set up our cab ride back to the airport. We saw the same 4-5 employees on rotation throughout our stay and all were incredibly helpful and spoke very good English.
The building is very centrally located on this side of Madrid a, really fantastic spot no more than 2 blocks from the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, or the Plaza de Santa Ana. We also found it quite easy to walk to both the Palace and to the Prado, although the rain curtailed our walking a bit later in the week, and we relied on the Metro.
What was a bit funny to us was seeing what amenities were provided vs what was missing. Upon arrival we took stock of 3 shower caps, 5 packets of shampoo, dozens of mints, an ashtray, some bars of soap and toilet paper. We also had pots/dishes/silverware, clothes detergent, dish soap, clothespins and a corkscrew (yay.) Some kind person also left us oil, vinegar, sugar, coffee, salt/pepper and a head of garlic that was looking a little long in the tooth.
Missing (and missed) were a dish drainer/rack ("No problem," said the husband, "I'll dry the dishes on paper towels. Oh, wait...."), paper towels, a sharp knife ("I've manged to cut myself but not the chicken.") and a clock of any kind. Anywhere. Not even on the stove. We clung to our iPhone, discombobulated as to the time more often than not.
Also missing was any kind of oven mitt, which made getting hot things out of said oven kind of tricky. We didn't have any kind of kettle or teapot either, but there was a neato stovetop coffee pot that we worked to death as it only made one cup at a time, and we simply boiled our tea water in a pot.
The bed is very small, a full vs a queen, and the combination of 6'4" husband with tiny bed in a strange place was not a great one. After one fitful night, we actually did a little rearranging that greatly improved matters. There is a single bed in the living room, to the right of the couch. We removed one nightstand from the bedroom, slid the other and the bed over as far as they would go, and slid the single bed in next to the full. Voila, ersatz king-size bed!
El Cortes Ingles is right at Sol, open all hours, and has everything you might need from paper towels to a new umbrella to chorizo. Our regular shopping trips were an awful lot of fun, especially noting the wine section in that small grocery store rivals some of our state stores here in PA.
What we loved about the apartment: The hotel staff and having the WiFi available; being able to cook meals; the strong water pressure; the extra space to spread out; the balcony and the view; the privacy; the experience; the neighborhood.
What we didn't love about the apartment: We never received clean towels or sheets after 1 week that we'd expected; there were no instructions for the washing machine and it ran very, very slow - at least 2 hours for a full cycle, no matter the setting; the apartment was clean at arrival except for the floor - by the second day we noticed the bottom of my socks were black. My husband attacked the floor with a broom but we couldn't find a mop and did our best with paper towels. The hot water also isn't super hot, which drove my husband insane but bothered me less.
The television also only got 4 channels but, amazingly, our portable CD player worked when hooked up to the TV. My husband kept insisting it shouldn't work, due to "X type of signal in Y country, and type of transmissions", but there it was. Even after he hooked it up, he couldn't believe it worked and kept shaking his head. I didn't quite understand why it shouldn't have worked, but I was glad it did. We had brought a small CD folder with DVD's and we were really glad to have them.
Staying in an apartment in a strange country isn't for everyone. I admit that I got tired of clothes not drying in the very damp weather, and the clothesline is in the bathroom which can get in the way. When you don't have a car and you're walking for groceries, you have to plan exactly what you can buy by how much you're willing to carry (especially in the driving rain.) You'll also spend your last night of your vacation cleaning up and doing dishes instead of mulling the amount of the tip to leave for housekeeping.
However, the positive greatly outshined the negative. All in all, it really was a great experience for us and we were very pleased with the apartment and everyone we dealt with among the staff. It is a very safe residential building, occupied mostly by young hip professionals in such a great area. For the price, I would highly recommend this location if you prefer what an apartment can offer over a hotel room.
