VP Jardín de Recoletos
This high-end apartment-hotel offers great value on a quiet street just a couple of blocks from El Retiro Park, the Prado, and shopping areas. The large lobby, with marble floors and a wood-paneled ceiling, adjoins a café, restaurant, and private outdoor garden. Rooms are ample and feature modern middle-of-the-road furnishings, and they all have a sofa bed plus a kitchenette with a microwave, stovetop, and refrigerator (with complimentary bottled water and soft drinks). Pillow menus are a nice plus.