Villa Magna

If the Ritz caters to old-money Madrid, then Villa Magna is its low-profile, new-money counterpart. Located on the shady Castellana mall, Villa Magna is the city’s modern luxury hotel par excellence, frequented by celebrities, foreign financiers, and other high-society types. Rooms are understated in their elegance, all taupes and mood lighting, and suit-and-tie staff are ever-present yet unobtrusive. The property’s two restaurants, one traditional Cantonese and the other contemporary Spanish, offer memorable fine-dining experiences well worth the splurge.

room

With mahogany wood accents, bonded-leather desks, and fluffed white pillows, rooms are classic yet sumptuous, ideal for business and family travelers. Nespresso machines in every room are another perk, as is the twice-daily housekeeping service, which provides complimentary bottled water. Coloring books and toys are available upon request, and teepee tents can be set up in certain rooms. Larger families should inquire about the connecting rooms, of which there are 84.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Wi-Fi can be sluggish at times. Ask the front desk for a special PIN that will increase your browsing speed.

Photo: Real Suite

Photo: Junior Suite

Photo: Royal Suite

bathroom

Spacious and overstocked with plush white towels (changed daily) and Asprey London toiletries, marble bathrooms offer all the comforts you expect from a luxury hotel. Cushy slippers and robes in every room are a nice touch.

Organic tear-free shampoo for kids is available upon request.

lobby

Comfortable enough for casual business meetings and small get-togethers, the hotel lobby is adorned with vintage furniture from the original Hotel Ritz in Lisbon. Check-in staff are so in-tune with your needs that they even ask what newspapers you’d like delivered each morning.

Thanks to a longstanding relationship with Real Madrid, the world-class soccer team, the concierge generally has two tickets (available for purchase) to home games at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

spa

The wellness center by Kiara Kare offers more than 100 individualized treatments 24 hours a day, and many can be done in your own hotel room. Their organic products are so all-natural that allegedly they’re edible—though we don’t recommend testing the waters.

gym

The ample fitness center, open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., features the latest Technogym equipment, which means you can watch Netflix while you work out.

dining

Villa Magna eschews the humdrum hotel restaurant stereotype with Tse-Yang, an upscale Cantonese dining room with flamboyant Chinese-style table-side service. Shatteringly crisp Peking duck steals the show, but don’t pass up the mouthwatering “cuatro felices” dumpling sampler. The equally refined Restaurante Villa Magna, located across the lobby, serves modern Spanish food on a verdant outdoor patio.

Restaurante Villa Magna’s huevos rancheros, drenched in salsa verde and served over crisp-fried corn tortillas, are one of the most satisfying breakfasts in town.

Photo: Lounge terrace

Photo: Patio Magnum

Photo: Lounge

drinking

Magnum Bar is a swanky (if slightly fussy) hotel bar, ideal for sipping ice-cold martinis and impressing business contacts. The outdoor patio often features a pop-up station by a reputable international restaurant; the current menu offers Turkish mezzes from an Istanbul chef.

Photo: Restaurante Villa Magna

Photo: Jardín de los Espejos

Photo: Restaurante Villa Magna