First, the hotel is incredible! Hard to believe that you can get such great value, at a city centre location, to this standard. I cannot give this hotel a high enough rating because it surpassed all my expectations in terms of location, cleanliness, hospitality, safety, helpfulness. The hotel is on the first floor, but there is a lift from the ground floor. The building is full of character. The room was clean, tidy, had everything we needed (we were visiting family in Madrid). There was a balcony, air conditioning unit, en suite with a great shower. The bathroom was clean. The bed was really comfy and when we asked for additional pillows they were provided immediately, no bother whatsoever. The reception was manned, and the staff could not have done more to make us feel welcome. They were so helpful and kind, I have nothing but positive things to say about them. Madrid: The hotel is situated on a busy street in a very popular area of Madrid. If you are expecting to stay in a quiet location, this is not it - it's full on - but the area is safe, it's full of young people, all having a good time, yet there is a sense of humanity about this area - you know that people will help you if you need it. The bars and shops are friendly, even though there's plenty of people who don't speak English, everybody wants to help and they are thoughtful and considerate. Weather - we travelled in April - just before the weather becomes unbearably hot (for the British!), we wore shorts, t shirts, whereas most of the locals were in full on winter clothes - jeans, roll neck jumpers and thick coats! We needed our sunglasses most days. The area around the hotel is full of cafe's (La Dona, a few doors down do coffee and breakfasts) and the roads behind the hotel are plenty of restaurants and tapas bars. There is no shortage of places to find food and beverages. The local beers are fantastic as are the wines. The food was fantastic even in what appeared to be the most basic of cafe's. You can tell people really care about the quality of the food they are serving up. Nothing was ridiculously expensive. Sol - the centre of Madrid is a 10 minute walk away - we walked at various times of the day and night and we never had a problem with safety or even feeling like there was a risk. There are plenty of taxis around if you prefer. One thing I would mention is that Madrid is quite hilly and is spread out - so expect to do a lot of walking and a high percentage of that will be on hilly streets. What to Wear: Madrid is a very casual city - I literally saw every type of fashion you could imagine - from the very casual to somewhat dressy - most people wear trousers or jeans or shorts. There were some skirts and dresses - but more on the casual side than the dressy side. However, even those who were dressed casually had a fantastic syle about them - the clothes look very well cut. Jeans are pressed and shirts are crisp. Nobody looked scruffy.
Vertalen