Anyone have good or bad experiences in the Tryp Hotels in Madrid? Specifically, I'm interested in the Menfis, Cibeles and Rex. Any info would be appreciated!

Ed,<BR><BR>i have never stayed at Tryp hotels but back in November I stayed at the Gran Colon, a 3 star Hotel but in a beautiful neighborhood. I bought it off of www.cheap2travel.com under their vacation section. I do not know why it was not listed under their hotles? My husband and I have been taking 1 vacation (5days) a month and have now bought 3 off of the cheap2travel web site and they were excellent<BR><BR>good luck with your travels<BR><BR>Anna

<BR>I´ve stayed at the Tryp Ambassador <BR>about 5 years ago and loved it.<BR>Very close to the main sights, beautiful Old World ambiance and good service.<BR><BR>The Tryp or Melia -same chain, it goes by both names- Reina Victoria is in even better location.<BR><BR>I´ve seen good comments on Cibeles in other travel forums.<BR> <BR>You can find great rates for these at<BR>www.solmelia.com and www.lastminute.com.<BR><BR>Good luck!

I stayed at the Tryp Rex 2 years ago...very nice for a three star hotel, centrally located on the Gran Via...only sore point was that the Gran Via in the evening is PACKED with people...so negotiating the crowds is sometimes tough.

Melia/Tryp seems to be a pretty reliable hotel chain. I've stayed in Melia hotels in London and Cancun and at the Tryp Ambassador in Madrid (also about 5 years ago). All the hotels were great. I'm planning a return trip to Madrid in Dec 2002 and hopefully I will be able to stay at the Tryp Ambassador again.<BR><BR>

The Tryp Cibeles is a very nice hotel. The rooms are small but adequate and everything works - always a plus. The restaurant does not seem to open very often and the public areas do lack atmosphere - it is difficult to get a drink at the bar. Location for sightseeing good although do not walk the streets behind the hotel - a hang out for muggers and drug dealers. Gran Via is fine but if you want any good food at night I would suggest taking a taxi to old madrid area

We stayed at the Tryp Reina Victoria in the Plaza Santa Ana. Beautiful hotel, the bullfighters stay there and return to the hotel in their outfits to change in their rooms. It's within walking distance of the Prado, Plaza Major and Plaza de Sol, each of which have dozens of restaurants, bars and tapas bars. It's probably expensive, but I don't even know. I bought a package (airlines, cab rides and hotel) from a travel agent. Overall it was pretty cheap. No need for a cab, which saves $10-20 a day.

I spent 2 nights last October at the Reina Victoria. The location was excellent but the staff was rude and unhelpful (with the one exception of the waiter we had at breakfast). I had looked forward to a splurge at the end of our 2.5 week trip and was definately disappointed. If I had to do it over again, I'd stay in the area but find antoher hotel with a little more local color.

My friend in Madrid takes care of translating letters for the Spanish Tourist Office and says that the most complaints come from Tryp guests......