twoboys

I have been pouring through AMribel's guide, this site, TripAdvisor...you name it. After much obsessing, I have narrowed our choices to Hotel Preciados, Hotel de las Letras and Catalonia las Cortes. We are a coupel in our mid 40s, we are well traveled and have stayed in a variety of accommodations. We prefer hotels that have all the nice amenities like nice linens, good showers, spotless of course, good fresh breakfasts and nice size rooms. We are from NY so we are used to walking. We are more of museum and culture people than night life peopel. If we spend hours walking and exploring and then go out for a great dinner we are happy. so my concerns are that the Catalonia might be too traditional, the de las Letras might be in too busy and loud a location and the Preciados might be too bare bones. Comments? Options? We are going at the end of June. Is there something I missed? Please help!

danon

I would NOT stay on Gran Via where las Letras is.

las Cortes is a good location for visiting museums.

Don't know what you mean about Preciados..... what is missing?
End of June will be very hot in Madrid. Make sure you are in a hotel with good A/C.

How long are you staying?
What is your budget?

chapla

Go for the NH Prado!

Josh

Of the 3 you mention, I only know the Preciados; it fits all your criteria, although I did not eat breakfast there. There are several room categories based largely on size. Our rooms (2) were spotless.

As far as "bare bones," it's not a Four Seasons and you may be disappointed if you want to be pampered. We did, however, find all services to be prompt and attentive. For example: there was road work being done in front of the hotel when we arrived by car (Sept 2009). There was a uniformed doorman standing on a conspicuous corner to provide parking directions for arriving guests. He guided us to the parking garage, unloaded our luggage, and escorted us to the front desk.

I second Danon's thoughts about not staying on the Gran Via.

worldinabag

Hi

My son has recently returned from Madrid. He stayed on Calle Preciados and said that there was alot of construction work being undertaken on it. This may well create noise issues for you.

Nikki

I loved the Room Mate Alicia, in a beautifully renovated old building on the Plaza Santa Ana. http://www.room-matehotels.com/eng/m...liciahotel.php

We stayed in a junior suite, which was a big corner room overlooking the plaza with a great modern design.

Revulgo

The construction work in Calle Preciados is finished. The Hotel Preciados breakfast buffet is served in its own cafeteria: Café Varela. Mon-Fri: 7am thru 11am. Sat &Sun: 8am thru 12noon.
http://www.accua.com/cafevarela/

lmhornet

Don't waste your time with Madrid. It's quite boring.

Revulgo

Quite boring? I don't think so
http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do

Aduchamp1

I do not think Madrid is boring in the least, especially if you have a great interest in art and art history.

As a point of reference Imhornet which European cities do you find interesting?

twoboys

Wow! Thank you everybody. I dont know why I did not get notified by email about responses. But anyway, we will be staying in Madrid 6/29-7/2 then taking train to Seville for 2 nights then Granada for 2 nights then the overnight train to Barcelona for 3 nights and then back home to New York.We love cities and museums so I am sure we will not find Madrid to be boring. I am glad to hear the construction is finished by the Preciados. People seem to love the location of the Catalonia so that was the biggest draw. We do want to try and keep things under $250 per night (with breakfast). We will not have a car so parking is not a concern. I have also looked at the Romm Mate Alicia and my husband crossed it off the list, but honestly I cannot even remember why at this point. Researching 4 different cities at once is making me a little loco en la cabeza!

danon

#
lmhornet on Dec 23, 09 at 7:51am

"Don't waste your time with Madrid. It's quite boring."

Could be if you have no interest in art and history, great food, beautiful parks, and world class shops.


We like the area just north of Retiro ( Serrano- Salamanca) - it is upscale, elegant, and only 10-15 min. walk to the museums.
Just keep in mind, in Granada and Seville it could easily be 100 degrees.

twoboys

I know it is not ideal in terms of weather. But I'll put my hair in a pony tail and walk around with water

Aleta

We visit Madrid often and have requirements such as yours.
Check out Hotel Villa Real, it's a block behind the Westin Palace. We stay here more than any other. For the price, you get a room with a step down living area. Front rooms have balconies, but make sure the construction is over, or request room with no view in back for quiet. You are a short walk from all the main museums, and the Plaza Santa Ana for tapas.

annhig

hi twoboys,

I would strongly advise staying near the museums if that's where your interests lie - we ended up walking back and forth to them what seemed like endlessly. also that is the right end of town for the railway station which will be useful for getting to Seville.

regards, ann

cruiseluv

Like Aleta I have also stayed several times at the Villa Real and like it a lot. My next favorite one is the Westin Palace. I have stayed in both hotels in the summer months and the A/C has worked like a charm. Another one in the area which is supposed to be very good is the Melia Reina Victoria in Plaza Santa Ana. That whole area is my favorite. Close to the museums, plaza Mayor and Retiro Park.

twoboys

Thank you so much. We are also looking at the ME Reina Victoria but someone told me it caters to a younger crowd (we are mid 40s and while we are hip we do not plan on partying all night long). I read that there is major construction by the Villa Real. So I think I will give the 3 or 4 choices to my husband and let him pick. Then I can praise or blame him as necessary (lol)

chapla

I repeat, the Nh Prado hotel sounds perfect for you.It's across from the Prado ,2 minutes from the Thyssen and about 5 from the Reina Sofia.Request a window facing the Canova fountain and a high floor.
Save your money by not staying at the Westin(next door to the NH Prado!) or the Villa Real
I agree w/our husbans decision to not consider Roomate Alicia-alot of hype but not so great -one night for me was enough there.Now the Roomsate hotel in Malaga is another story -wondeful!

twoboys

I just looked at the NH Prado on TA. Seems like people have good things to day. There are way more pictures of the bathrooms (very nice) than the actual rooms. Price wise it is bit higher (when you add breakfast) than some of my other choices. Reviews on Booking.com mention that the rooms are quite. It also looks like the Superior rooms are twice as much as the standard ones. Ill see what my travel agent can do

chapla

The NH hotels do great deals-you need to play w/their website to get an idea of what is the best deal.The hotel was called the Gran Canarias until it was bought by NH a couple of years ago.There is another NH hotel at the Plaza de Colon called the Sanvy which is just a little bit up the way-pleasant walk down the middle of the pedestrian walkway.