cova

Maribel, put a no-no to "El Estragon".

I called last Wednesday to book a 4-people table for Saturday at 9:30 pm. They told me, very harsh, that it had to be 9 or 11. When I say that one of the persons would be arriving after 9:30 they told me that she would have to skip starters and go straight to the main course. All of that followed by a "we have plenty of people wanting to eat here". At the end, I booked at "Al natural", and arrived myself at 9:40 after having spent the whole day in Segovia.

The owners at "Isla del Tesoro" have always been extremely accomodating when we need to change bookings (more or less people, later or sooner ...). You must try it once. They have a wonderful flower salad.

Bye, Cova

Maribel

Thanks a lot, cova.
The reco of El Estragón is going to be permanently scratched from my Madrid guide. Take note, vibhav. It no longer exists!! Gone.
So now you know! Go instead to La Isla del Tesoro. I'll try it in Nov. before your trip. You can get there by metro, Bilbao stop.

vibhav

Maribel/ Cova,

Any particular feedback on the room mate Shalma in Granada? Seems to be a better choice than Migueletes based on location and noise levels and trip advisor reviews... Just wanted a quick sanity check ....

Thanks,
Vibhav

Maribel

vibhav,
The problem I saw for you at the Migueletes was primarily all the steps, with your 3 yr. old-steps to get up to the courtyard, steps to the library/lounge, stairs down to the basement breakfast room, and some rooms are up steps not accessible by elevator. The Room Mate group here simply took over an existing hotel, the Casa de Migueletes, so couldn't change the room configuration. Most of their other properties, like the Laura, are their own products, taking an existing building, completely gutting it and then fitting it to their style.

About the noise: some do find the Albaicín neighborhood close to Plaza Nueva to be noisy and the rooms facing the courtyard and next to the elevator noisy as well-that's why I mentioned that. It does have a young people's vibe, although the decor is standard "Moorish house" rather than hip and trendy, again because it was a boutique hotel prior to the Room Mate group's purchasing it. And the lower Albaicín does have quite a bit of nightlife going on around the Migueletes. Another reason for those Trip Advisor comments about noise. Others here have posted that they've slept soundly at the Migueletes.

The Shalma, as I said, is in a downtown location that would be easier for you, I think, with a stroller. It's located on the small Plaza Fortuny, directly off a flat street, Calle Santa Escolástica (which is art gallery row), which becomes Calle Pavaneras which ends at the Plaza Isabel la Católica, the downtown center, very close to the cathedral. I know this location because we walked by it everyday going back and forth to our hotel in the Realejo neighborhood. They hadn't inaugurated the Shalma yet, but I do know the walk and the area.

The Realejo isn't really a tourist-packed area like the Albaicín due to its lack of hotels.
We liked staying in the Realejo, although we were at the very top of it, where it meets the Alhambra hill.

Just something to consider.

vibhav

Thanks a lot, Maribel ... I think we will go ahead and book the Shalma ... I agree with your insight that the location, no steps and less noise, might be better with our little son ... Also, this way we will get to stay in the modernistic, new - Spain, kind of look hotel which we have not booked so far anywhere else ... We have the La Musica in Seville for the anadalusian boutique feel, the parador in Ronda for the parador experience, and the Shalma in Granada can be our new age style experience .. Now if only we can find something better than Plaza Mayor in Madrid ... Will book it as a standby for sure though as you cannot complain with that location and that price ... and will keep looking ...

Will get back as we start listing out our food options, sightseeing, shopping and cultural stuff ...

Cannot thank you enough, maribel for the thorough and detailed responses, which have already made our Spain experience start of on a very good note ...

Maribel

Hi vibhav,
In your searching in Madrid for something else, remember location. If you need to use the metro to get to Atocha and Chamartín rail stations for your trips to Toledo, Sevilla (Atocha) and Segovia (Chamartín), it would be best to have a metro station handy.

Also the plentiful casual dining with 3 yr. old son-it would be nice to have informal, inexpensive spots within easy walking distance of your hotel, since the apt. idea doesn't hold appeal.

For those items, the Barrio de las Letras area (Hotel Plaza Mayor) is handy-casual, budget eateries (including vegetarian spots), lots to see that's walkable in Old Madrid, close to the museum triangle (if you plan to do the big 3), metro station at Antón Martín that's just 2 stops from Atocha Renfe and where you have the Cercanías underground train to take you up to Chamartín (with 2 intermediate stops at Recoletos and Nuevos Ministerios).

For the other 3-4 star hotels I already tried above (and others you see in my guide), you may want to check their rates in mid-Nov. to see if anything has changed. You never know.

vibhav

Thanks Maribel. I completely agree with your response...

I don't think we are averse to the idea of an apartment for Madrid at all... in fact it might be more comfortable to stay since we will be there for 5 days.... The only thing is that I can not find anything good, with good location within $120/night budget...

Maribel

Hi vibhav,
I'm doing some business related Madrid apt. research right now, so I'll pass on anything within your budget that I find.

Maribel

vibhav,
Check the Madrid studio apartment offerings at
www.friendlyrentals.com