Hello Fodorites:

We are 2 single girls in our mid 30's from Miami and we are looking to stay in a hotel for less than 100 euros near Madrid's nightlife and attractions. Any suggestions?

If you have any nightlife suggestions for single girls i.e. tapas bars, restaurants, flamenco shows, nightclubs or lounges, I would also appreciate any suggestions on any of those.


Thank you all and I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. Please be nice to me as I have seen a few not so nice comments to newbies like me and I tried to be as precise as possible but I don't know much about Madrid and I am looking to you all for guidance.


Thanks.

anastasia01,
I have 2 suggestions under 100: The Hotel Plaza Mayor on a pretty square between Madrid's principal square, the Plaza Mayor, and the Plaza Santa Ana, the epicenter of tapas bars and nightlife in Old Madrid.
www.h-plazamayor.com
Or the brand new Roommate Alicia, a very hip place facing Plaza Santa Ana with interior design by Pascua Ortega, the decorator to the stars and royalty. Depending on dates, you can sometimes snag a room at the Alicia for 90 euros. Check www.room-matehotels.com or other internet booking sites.

I have a very looong Madrid guide that you're welcome to download (pdf) at
www.maribelsguides.com for suggestions on tapas bars, flamenco, nightlife, shopping, etc.

Gracias Maribel. Estoy muy agradecida.

I have seen some of your posts and your are extremely helpful. I was actually looking into the Roommate Alicia. I am going in late November and I got a rate of 97 Euros. Will definitely look into it after your suggestion as well.

Maribel, is there a local newspaper/magazine that I can go to for nightlife events? I know of Timeout but I was wondering if there was another one to compare to.

Thanks again.

P.S. Looking forward to Madrid especially since I speak Spanish!

anastasia, you will have so much fun in Madrid. The nightlife is super; I'm a lot older than you, but I enjoyed going out until the wee hours with my Madrid friend every night, and there are many options, from bars to outdoor cafes to jazz to cavas w/ flamenco to the club scene. Just be prepared to wash the smoke out of your clothes each morning!

I think that Thursday nights are popular at the many 'Irish' pubs for Spaniards wanting to practice English and vice versa.

Around the pedestrian street, calle Huertas (sorry, can't check the spelling, at work!), we ate at many little tapas places.

What helped me survive the Madrid nightlife (since you are from Miami & still young'uns, may not be hard for you!) was to eat my main meal around 2-3 and then take a siesta later, maybe 5/6/7. I would then meet my friend and we would alternate drinks with snacks/tapas and lots of walking around until we were ready to call it a night.

I really liked the 2* hotel I stayed at, the Hotel Mexico. However, my friend booked it for me and I am not sure if they have a website. Simple, clean, good location and good price.
But any advice that Maribel offers, take, she is a true expert on Spain!

Yes anastasia01,
Buy the weekly Guia del Ocio at any newspaper stand. It comes out at the end of the week and has everything that you'll need. And check www.guadelocio.com before you leave along with www.elmundo.es/metropoli
The excellent city web page,
www.esmadrid.com
is also very helpful.

Hi Anastasia,

RoomMate Alicia is a great option. A friend stayed there last July, and the room and the hotel was great.

I subscribe to a weekly newsletter called "Le Cool" http://www.lecool.com/ Plenty of good ideas.

Another good source of information regarding bars and shops and so on is the monthly "Salir Salir" http://www.salirsalir.com/

There are lots of places to go out, and it really depends on what you are looking for, more dressy or more relaxed. Personally I tend more to go to the Chueca and Malasaña area (lots of tiny bars and clubs there) than to the big discos such as Kapital, Joy Eslava, La nueva fontana or Gabana (not that I think I would be allowed to get in there in flats and without high heels ...).

Drop me a line, I might be in Madrid by the time you come visiting and I could show you a few places ...

Rgds, Cova

anastasia01,
If you're looking for relaxed small more funky clubs and bars, you probably would be happier in the Chueca and Malasaña quarters.
My listings, as cova knows well, are for the mega discos and for the "in" glamour spots that are dressy.
There's an age difference here-I'm afraid I'm well past the age for the Chueca, Malasaña scene! Saw my thirties many moons ago!

Maribel, next time you are in Madrid, give me a call and I´ll take you to Areia or to the Cafe de Belen, and you will see that age is not such a problem ...

Mind you, in summer I would vote for the rooftop bar at the Hotel Urban, great champagne cocktails ... or the Teatro Real terrasse sipping cava between opera acts, that´s also a great place. We saw Aline Romanones there last July.

Cova

Hi cova,
Will you be there during Navidades or will you be in Bilbao or off to ski?

Are you sure that fifty-somethings would "fit in" ? LOL! If so, I'm in! I trust you.
Then I can add some proper nighlife for 20-30s to my guide!

Yes, the terrace of the Teatro Real is a great place as well as the roof of the Urban in summer.
Cova, I'm going to miss seeing an opera while in Madrid by a couple of days. Tales of Hoffman ends on Dec. 23! Boo-hoo. And there's nothing that fits my schedule at the Teatro Español or Zarzuela. I'll just have to come earlier, in Nov.!

p.s.
I like Lila Ortega's Madrid restaurant favorites on salirsalir.com

Thank you for your suggestions and info guys! I will look into those newspapers to get a better idea. From your posts, it seems like Madrid was a great choice.

I did read about the Malasaña and Chueca areas which seem like the best place. How far are the Malasaña and Chueca area from the hotel Alicia? Walking distance?

We do like funky clubs, wine and tapas bars, and lounges the best but we can always do a great dance club!

Cova, I plan to be in Madrid from Nov. 23 through Nov. 29. We are still trying make sure we can go on these dates but it's definitely around that time. My friend just needs to confirm. It would be great if we can meet up! I will email you to let you know for sure. Thanks for the offer

I have been to Spain twice which is very limited experience. I am quite impressed with Maribel's guide to Madrid (and her other guides also). I will observe Madrid was full of small "hostals" which are small hotels. In Spain, as I understand it, a hostal offers accomodations but not the full services of a "hotel." I stayed at the Hostal Victoria I on one stay and Hostal Victoria II on a second stay.
http://www.hostal-victoria.com/
The people were nice and the room in each instance quite comfortable, clean and the hostal quite safe. I would anticipate many other hostals in Madrid would be at least as pleasant. Prices vary but a quick check on a few hostals shows prices up or down from 50/60 euros for two people fairly common.

No personal experience on night life but on one trip two companions elected to take a guided tour of nightlife (inluding at least a flamenco show); said tour picked from advertising literature in our hostal (hotel) lobby.
My friends (in their late '30's) seemed very pleased with their experiences.

anastasia01,
I readily admit that I'm no young urban hipster, into the funky club scene, so let cova be your guide! I let my subscription go to lecool after being talked in to it by the editor from Barcelona, but I do like the recs on www.salirsalir.com

Sounds like Malasaña and Chueca are just right . To walk from the Hotel Alicia on Plaza de Santa Ana to the Plaza de Chueca is easy. And you may want to do some major shoe shopping on Calle Agustín Figueroa in Chueca. It's lined with discount shoe stores selling samples of the top brands at bargain prices.
Have fun!

High Tech Petit Palace Arenal and their nearby sister properties will definitely fill the bill.

There is another e-guide that I find useful for spanish cities
www.lanetro.com
Only spanish I am afraid. But that should not be a problem for must of you.