Madrid Hotel in city but close to airport
Nov 5th, 2008, 05:54 AM
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Madrid Hotel in city but close to airport
Our travel plans have changed as my daughter just announced she is having a baby May 1. So, we will be going in October of 2009. We will be staying in Barcelona on the last leg of our trip and will be flying out of Madrid the next day. We will take the train from Barcelona into Madrid and would like to stay in Madrid in an area that offers restaurants, etc. but we do not need to be close to museums. When I do a search, would the Salmanaca area be the closest area to the airport but offer nice hotels and shopping for our last fling in Spain?
Nov 5th, 2008, 08:28 AM
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The Salamanca area is perfect, with some of the best restaurants and shopping. It's also very close to the center of the city and only 20 to 25 minutes from the airport, depending on traffic. You should take a look at Maribel’s Guide to Madrid for some useful information on the area (maribelsguides.com).
Nov 6th, 2008, 06:51 AM
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some other thoughts:
We flew Ryanair from Girona to Madrid. It was cheaper and faster than the train. Click Air (budget airline owned by Iberia air)is supposed to start flights from Barcelona to Madrid soon probably starting at 35 E plus taxes. Vueling has cheap flights between Barcelona and Madrid.
The metro system is very good in Madrid so you shouldn't be concerned about what area you stay in. You could get help from your hotel if you need to switch metro stations to get to the airport. The metro goes right to the terminals. Chueca has nice trendy restaurants. One that we ate at which was packed on 2 levels was Bazaar. The food and atmosphere were great. I believe it was listed in Maribel's guide. http://www.restaurantbazaar.com/
We flew Ryanair from Girona to Madrid. It was cheaper and faster than the train. Click Air (budget airline owned by Iberia air)is supposed to start flights from Barcelona to Madrid soon probably starting at 35 E plus taxes. Vueling has cheap flights between Barcelona and Madrid.
The metro system is very good in Madrid so you shouldn't be concerned about what area you stay in. You could get help from your hotel if you need to switch metro stations to get to the airport. The metro goes right to the terminals. Chueca has nice trendy restaurants. One that we ate at which was packed on 2 levels was Bazaar. The food and atmosphere were great. I believe it was listed in Maribel's guide. http://www.restaurantbazaar.com/
Nov 6th, 2008, 03:30 PM
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kakiebell,
I would stay (and have, many, many times) in the Salamanca neighborhood. It really is a short taxi ride to Barajas airport from there, particularly in the early morning hours.
From the Hotel Wellington (which we've talked about) on Calle Velázquez, for example, the taxi goes straight up one-way Velázquez, then turns onto María de Molina which flows into Avenida de América, which goes out to the airport, making it a very direct route.
I would stay (and have, many, many times) in the Salamanca neighborhood. It really is a short taxi ride to Barajas airport from there, particularly in the early morning hours.
From the Hotel Wellington (which we've talked about) on Calle Velázquez, for example, the taxi goes straight up one-way Velázquez, then turns onto María de Molina which flows into Avenida de América, which goes out to the airport, making it a very direct route.
Nov 6th, 2008, 07:55 PM
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I booked the Hesperia Hermosilla because of all the great comments you made, Maribel, on your Salamanca reviews. Cannot believe you remembered our discussion about the Wellington!!
The Hesperia Hermosilla is close to shopping and a different area of Madrid to explore than that of Centro or Prado. When I arrive, we are staying at Villa Real.
The reason I am booking so early is that when I tried to book the Claris in Barcelona, they were booked for a lot of my stay in October. What goes on in Barcelona in October? I rebooked the Hotel 1898 instead. I was able to get my room changed at Hotel Alimar, Seville and Carmen de la Albubilla de Caracol in Granada.
Thanks for all your comments to all of you. It is hard to wait till October as I was so ready to go in April.
The Hesperia Hermosilla is close to shopping and a different area of Madrid to explore than that of Centro or Prado. When I arrive, we are staying at Villa Real.
The reason I am booking so early is that when I tried to book the Claris in Barcelona, they were booked for a lot of my stay in October. What goes on in Barcelona in October? I rebooked the Hotel 1898 instead. I was able to get my room changed at Hotel Alimar, Seville and Carmen de la Albubilla de Caracol in Granada.
Thanks for all your comments to all of you. It is hard to wait till October as I was so ready to go in April.
