Room Mate Hotels Madrid?
Jun 1st, 2009, 03:59 AM
#3
I stayed at the Roommate Alicia. Loved the hotel, loved the location on the Plaza Santa Ana. We stayed in a junior suite because it was a good rate at the time, and the room was beautifully designed, one of the nicest I've ever stayed in, with floor to ceiling windows, an interesting bathroom design, a tub with a view. I understand that the regular rooms are smaller and the bathroom integration into the room might not be private enough for everyone, but I have not seen those rooms, just read comments here.
Jun 1st, 2009, 06:39 AM
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Tere-
Yes, I should have omitted the "to" but mate (with an accent)is also the past simple first person and present tense for him, her, and usted.
Pero yo no quiero matar a cualquiera en Fodor's. (I do not want to kill anyone at Fodor's.)
Yes, I should have omitted the "to" but mate (with an accent)is also the past simple first person and present tense for him, her, and usted.
Pero yo no quiero matar a cualquiera en Fodor's. (I do not want to kill anyone at Fodor's.)
Jun 1st, 2009, 10:23 AM
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For the best and in most convenient for visiting the 3 great art museums, off all the Room Mates (as in "compañeros de cuarto"-doesn't have anything to do with the verb "matar"),
the Alicia wins hands down, but it's usually the most expensive, due to its prime location.
The Mario is located on a side street very close to Opera square, an easy walk to the Royal Palace/Sabatini gardens, but it also lies right below the night club, La Viuda Negra, so I wouldn't book a street facing room there.
The Laura faces a pedestrian square, Plaza de las Descalzas, that lies just west of the huge El Corte Inglés shopping complex and the Puerta del Sol. Rooms are more spacious at the Laura, some being duplexes.
To reach the Prado, it's a slightly closer walk (3 blocks or so closer) from the Laura than from the Mario.
the Alicia wins hands down, but it's usually the most expensive, due to its prime location.
The Mario is located on a side street very close to Opera square, an easy walk to the Royal Palace/Sabatini gardens, but it also lies right below the night club, La Viuda Negra, so I wouldn't book a street facing room there.
The Laura faces a pedestrian square, Plaza de las Descalzas, that lies just west of the huge El Corte Inglés shopping complex and the Puerta del Sol. Rooms are more spacious at the Laura, some being duplexes.
To reach the Prado, it's a slightly closer walk (3 blocks or so closer) from the Laura than from the Mario.
Jun 2nd, 2009, 07:59 AM
#14
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Hi Maribel. I know you are *the* expert on Madrid - but we had a street facing room at the Mario and didn't notice any night club noise ? This was 2 years ago, though - maybe it's opened since ? There was just the normal amount of city street noise, which we are used to; but I guess someone who lives somewhere very quiet may find it noisy as with any street facing room in a city. The rooms were different sizes and admittedly ours was bigger than our friends', but theirs were nice too. If I were returning to Madrid (and we hope to), I would stay at the Mario again.
Jun 2nd, 2009, 08:32 AM
#15
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I will tell you that I have contacted Laura, Mario in Madrid and Amadeus in Seville and I must say that all were some of the nicest people to speak to and email..If this is what I have to look forward to, I am happy...
PS..You all are not helping with the choice here>>>Maribel you said something about a shopping mall next to laura..its not an ugly american type mall is it?
well still cant decide,,,oh well!
PS..You all are not helping with the choice here>>>Maribel you said something about a shopping mall next to laura..its not an ugly american type mall is it?
well still cant decide,,,oh well!
Jun 2nd, 2009, 10:46 AM
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Hi caroline,
Glad to know that you didn't suffer the noise of the Viuda Negra as it was closing at 3:30 am. I don't think it stays open that late every night, maybe just Thurs./Fri./Sat.
We heard no early morning noise from there on Wed. at all.
The crowd leaving the club just continued their party out into the street for quite a while. But it may be that the street facing rooms of the Mario have much better soundproofing than the Meninas across the street.
There was also the pre-dawn recycling pick up, but again, the Mario street facing windows may have much better double glazing. I just remarked to my husband that all the street facing rooms of the Calle Campomanes hotels/hostals must suffer from the same street noise-but maybe not.
I didn't remember the street being noisy at all in the past, but there seems to be a "botellón" crowd that now parties at the southern end of the street near Opera Square. They leave their collection of liquor bottles for the sanitation workers to clean up in the morning.
And Opera Square was under construction when we were there, adding construction noise during the day (repaving and putting in an elevator for the metro station). But that noise didn't affect us while we were out touring, although it started up again when the construction trucks started rolling down the street about 6 am. The hotels, of course, can't do anything about this-not their fault. And that work on Opera square may even be finished by now.
johnb,
I was referring to the enormous El Corte Inglés department store. The Laura is located on a pedestrian square across from another hotel, Palacio de San Martín and a convent, Las Descalzas Reales, and the Caja Madrid exhibition space (which houses the extensions of temporary art exhibits at the Thyssen museum) and one block from El Corte Inglés.
If you've looked at the web site, you'll see that the Laura rooms called "apartments" because they have at least a sitting area (or living room) and a mini-kitchen. The more expensive ones are duplexes with full kitchens. The Laura and Oscar (in Chueca) are the newest of the 4. The oldest is the Mario. The Room Mate group took it over-used to be the HH Campomanes.
Glad to know that you didn't suffer the noise of the Viuda Negra as it was closing at 3:30 am. I don't think it stays open that late every night, maybe just Thurs./Fri./Sat.
We heard no early morning noise from there on Wed. at all.
The crowd leaving the club just continued their party out into the street for quite a while. But it may be that the street facing rooms of the Mario have much better soundproofing than the Meninas across the street.
There was also the pre-dawn recycling pick up, but again, the Mario street facing windows may have much better double glazing. I just remarked to my husband that all the street facing rooms of the Calle Campomanes hotels/hostals must suffer from the same street noise-but maybe not.
I didn't remember the street being noisy at all in the past, but there seems to be a "botellón" crowd that now parties at the southern end of the street near Opera Square. They leave their collection of liquor bottles for the sanitation workers to clean up in the morning.
And Opera Square was under construction when we were there, adding construction noise during the day (repaving and putting in an elevator for the metro station). But that noise didn't affect us while we were out touring, although it started up again when the construction trucks started rolling down the street about 6 am. The hotels, of course, can't do anything about this-not their fault. And that work on Opera square may even be finished by now.
johnb,
I was referring to the enormous El Corte Inglés department store. The Laura is located on a pedestrian square across from another hotel, Palacio de San Martín and a convent, Las Descalzas Reales, and the Caja Madrid exhibition space (which houses the extensions of temporary art exhibits at the Thyssen museum) and one block from El Corte Inglés.
If you've looked at the web site, you'll see that the Laura rooms called "apartments" because they have at least a sitting area (or living room) and a mini-kitchen. The more expensive ones are duplexes with full kitchens. The Laura and Oscar (in Chueca) are the newest of the 4. The oldest is the Mario. The Room Mate group took it over-used to be the HH Campomanes.
Jun 2nd, 2009, 11:38 AM
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Dearest Maribel,
I am looking for something in this price range in the old section due to the fact I heard its more charming..I am asking with all seriousness,,can you help me select a hotel on a quite street close to everything in a charming area..maybe like a pedestrian zone..We have never been to Spain...our last trip was Lisbon and one of us were so sick we both didnt enjoy ourselves..trying to make it up to the wife...any thing you could do and all I can do is pay it forward!!!!!!!!john
I am looking for something in this price range in the old section due to the fact I heard its more charming..I am asking with all seriousness,,can you help me select a hotel on a quite street close to everything in a charming area..maybe like a pedestrian zone..We have never been to Spain...our last trip was Lisbon and one of us were so sick we both didnt enjoy ourselves..trying to make it up to the wife...any thing you could do and all I can do is pay it forward!!!!!!!!john
Jun 2nd, 2009, 12:26 PM
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johnb,
I just read an article about the ongoing construction and its super high decibel level of the current Isabel II square renovation (driving the neighbors batty), which is happening a block from the Room Mate Mario, so I really think you would want an interior room there (read a June Trip Advisor review about that).
I also think you need to read JulieV's review of the Room Mate Laura to make sure that the style fits you (and the location).
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...hern-spain.cfm
A quiet hotel on a quiet street in Old Madrid is a difficult beast to find. Old Madrid is in a constant state of gentrification and streets now being pedestrianized, along with work being done at the metro stations (like Opera), so it's hard to avoid the street noise.
The best advice I have when staying in Old Madrid is to ask for an interior room to be absolutely assured of quiet. And a newer hotel is more likely to have individually controlled a/c.
I do really like the look of the Room Mate Alicia and its friendly front desk staff. But those standard rooms do have an open bathroom/shower arrangement. Executive rooms afford more privacy as do the corner jr. suites that overlook Plaza Santa Ana. This square is as lively as they come at night, but windows of the Alicia seemed well soundproofed to me.
I find the Catalonia Las Cortes to be a very dignified, pretty, up market hotel, (right below the Room Mate Alicia), and the rooms that I've seen have been quite nice and quiet. Some face an atrium. But the rate may (??) be significantly more than the Room Mates for your dates. And the tariff usually doesn't include buffet breakfast, but all Room Mates do.
Make sure to read through the many, many Trip Advisor reviews for the Alicia, Las Cortes, Laura and Mario. They will give you a good feel for each hotel.
For absolute peace and quiet, I stay in the very upscale, actually ritzy, Salamanca district, but from my favorite hotel there it's a 20 min. walk to the Prado, albeit a very pretty stroll.
It's not "in the thick of things". And I'll be the first to admit that the area becomes quite dead on Sat. afternoons when stores close and on Sun. when the wealthy denizens of this quarter disappear to their weekend homes.
It's always a trade off.
I just read an article about the ongoing construction and its super high decibel level of the current Isabel II square renovation (driving the neighbors batty), which is happening a block from the Room Mate Mario, so I really think you would want an interior room there (read a June Trip Advisor review about that).
I also think you need to read JulieV's review of the Room Mate Laura to make sure that the style fits you (and the location).
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...hern-spain.cfm
A quiet hotel on a quiet street in Old Madrid is a difficult beast to find. Old Madrid is in a constant state of gentrification and streets now being pedestrianized, along with work being done at the metro stations (like Opera), so it's hard to avoid the street noise.
The best advice I have when staying in Old Madrid is to ask for an interior room to be absolutely assured of quiet. And a newer hotel is more likely to have individually controlled a/c.
I do really like the look of the Room Mate Alicia and its friendly front desk staff. But those standard rooms do have an open bathroom/shower arrangement. Executive rooms afford more privacy as do the corner jr. suites that overlook Plaza Santa Ana. This square is as lively as they come at night, but windows of the Alicia seemed well soundproofed to me.
I find the Catalonia Las Cortes to be a very dignified, pretty, up market hotel, (right below the Room Mate Alicia), and the rooms that I've seen have been quite nice and quiet. Some face an atrium. But the rate may (??) be significantly more than the Room Mates for your dates. And the tariff usually doesn't include buffet breakfast, but all Room Mates do.
Make sure to read through the many, many Trip Advisor reviews for the Alicia, Las Cortes, Laura and Mario. They will give you a good feel for each hotel.
For absolute peace and quiet, I stay in the very upscale, actually ritzy, Salamanca district, but from my favorite hotel there it's a 20 min. walk to the Prado, albeit a very pretty stroll.
It's not "in the thick of things". And I'll be the first to admit that the area becomes quite dead on Sat. afternoons when stores close and on Sun. when the wealthy denizens of this quarter disappear to their weekend homes.
It's always a trade off.
Jun 3rd, 2009, 04:59 AM
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Hi Maribel. I'm sorry to hear you experienced all that. We were there at a weekend and still didn't notice the clubbers. As you say, maybe better soundproofing - or maybe it was only what we are used to at home so didn't really notice !
