My wife and I will be staying in Madrid in October and we're trying to decide between 3 hotels, the Villa Real, the Ritz, and the Westin Palace. My wife has been to Madrid before, but did not stay in a hotel and I've never been there. We chose these three mostly based on their location. I'm very interested in hearing any and all comments that might help me decide between them. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people on this list and your help will be immensely appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

We just got back from Madris and stayed at the Ritz. It is a very formal hotel. You must wear a coat a tie in the lobby after 11:00am. We did not know that but they didn't say anything. We just wondered why evertone was dressed up. The hotel is obviously very old. However the service is wonderful and we would stay there again. The Palace is across the street but Planet Hollywood is on the first floor. Hope this can help you.

Hi, We stayed at the Palace a couple of years ago, I am stunned to find out the Planet Hollywood is now on its first floor....please tell me more about it, Muchas gracias...

SteveL,

I've stayed at the Palace and the Villa Real, although it's been quite some time (probably in '93 for the Palace and '95 at the Villa Real).

The Palace has a fabulous lobby - the lounge with the huge stained glass skylight is one THE hangouts in Madrid. Our room was large & nice - no idea when the hotel was last refurbished though. There was a large shopping passage in part of the building which was basically self-contained (separate street entrance), so that's probably where the Planet Hollywood is - if that's the case, you won't notice that it's in your hotel at all.

The Villa Real is just around the corner and much more intimate. They have great top floor duplex suites with rooftop terraces - really enjoyed that. Again, no idea what condition the rooms are in at this time.

We had dinner at the Ritz one night and it definitely seemed more formal than the other 2 properties.

Hope this helps,
Andre

I knew that the Ritz in London was like that a few years ago (I was accosted by the doorman!), but I thought they'd relaxed things. I guess not. I like luxury, but I'm not much for stuffy, so I'm down to Villa Real and the Palace.

Unless I hear a definite negative about one of them (and the Planet Hollywood doesn't bother me), I'll probably let price decide.

I'd heard that the Palace can have poor service and I'd heard that the Villa Real can be noisy, but those were both isolated comments and I'm curious if anybody can confirm or refute them.

I really appreciate these and any future comments.

Steve,

FYI, the Ritz in London and the one in Madrid are not affiliated. The one in London is an independent property (with a marketing link to Ritz Carlton), while the one in Madrid is managed by Le Meridien.

Andre

Andre:

How interesting. One of my closest friends has worked for Ritz-Carlton for years (he started there when they were born in their current incarnation, but before Marriott bought them and he's with them now). I never knew that any Marketing link existed between Ritz (in London, Montreal, or anyplace else) and R-C. Is the Madrid Ritz the only Meridien Ritz and are London, Montreal, and Paris all together?

The "Ritz Hotel" in Madird is simply the Ritz. It is NOT a Ritz-Carlton (an entirely different chain of properties) and nevre has been. In my opinion if it WERE a Ritz-Carlton property it would be a lot better than it is.

Nobody ever said it was a Ritz-Carlton. In fact the opposite was made pretty clear.

As for benefitting from being part of R-C, I disagree. There was a time when R-C was quite special, but it is well below Four Seasons now and no match at all for Regency or Peninsula. As for the various Ritz hotels, e.g., London, Madrid, Paris, be they part of Meridien or not, they may not be for everybody, but I think that's the point. R-C comes too close to being for everybody.

Gee, sorry...I hope you have a great trip anyway.

I have stayed at both Palace and Villa Real.
First, the Planet Hollywood thing is totally not a consideration--it simply is on the same block, as is a Starbucks. If you don't stay there, do have drinks in the domed bar, and people watching is always the best.
I've stayed at the Villa Real 4 times. We've had one bad room and 3 good ones. by good, we had a balcony that we could open, but of course that also gives you some street noise when you're trying to sleep. I think of it as a 3 1/2 star, the Palace a 4 star, and the Ritz a 5 star.
The Villa Real is much smaller, has a little park right in front of it, and I've had good luck with last minute offers from them or from Orbitz (paid 216 Euro in November).
You'll be amazed, but even the Palace can be found on Orbitz or Expedia sometimes at a low rate. Rooms can vary in size, but it definitely is more elegant than Villa Real.

It is called the "Hotel Ritz". at least that's what my bill says and as others have said not a RC. However, it is right across the street from the Palace and we walked by the Palace several times and the Planet Hollywood was right on thr bottom.

Interesting info from Aleta.

Steve,

Ritz hotels can be found in Europe in: Barcelona, London, Paris and Madrid.

The Ritzes in London and Paris are independently managed properties, with the one in Paris being owned by the Al-Fayed family (they own Harrods as well). The one in Madrid is managed by Le Meridien, while the one in Barcelona is managed by HUSA (a spanish chain).

In Montreal, there's only a Ritz-Carlton, AFAIK.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Thanks to all. Very helpful info.

Regarding the Montreal Ritz, apparently, R-C took it over when I wasn't watching. It wasn't originally part of the deal when the Atlanta group that sold out to Marriott bought the name, which included the Boston property and maybe D.C. (not sure about NYC). They built all the other ones they have now (about 50) and they do have a marketing agreement with the London Ritz. In Barcelona, there is a R-C (Hotel Arts) as well as a Ritz that is not associated with R-C.

We stayed at Palace two years ago. Plannet Hollywood is not in their building but it is on the same block. Their rooms are very nice and decorated with taste. The service was outstanding.

Just returned yesterday from a trip to Madrid and spent 5 nights at the The Wellington Hotel, another 5 star hotel. It's right off of Retiro Park and just a short distance to the Prado. Rates were much better than any of the 3 you mention. We had lovely rooms with great breakfasts for $125 euros/night.

stayed at the villa real last year and really enjoyed it - staff were v friendly, located inbetween prado and the centre and just round the corner form some trad tapas bar

would definitely go back

If you read Fodors rants and raves you'll see another person complained that Planet Hollywood was on the first floor of the Palace.

Toto:

Do you know how close to the Prado (in minutes walking) the Wellington is?

Also, does anybody have a feel for how close the Orfila and Adler are to the Prado (in minutes walking)?

Thanks.

We stayed at the Palace a couple of years ago.. wonderful.. HOWEVER.. also planning on going back this year Sep/Oct. Will not stay at Ritz.. haven't had a chance to look at the Villa Real.. Has anybody knowledge of the Husa Princesa or the Wellington.. both of which have five stars in the same vicinity as the Palace??? Showing as considerably less $$$. Incidentally, you don't even know Planet Hollywood is there until you walk past it - Do not consider it as part of the hotel.