hotel in Madrid

[cruisemuse13]

We have decided to take the advice of someone on Cruise Critic, and at the end of our cruise, we will be taking the train to Madrid to enjoy several days , before flying home.

 

I know Madrid is not a cruise port, but I hope that someone has stayed there and can suggest a good hotel near the old part of town. Anyone???:D

[MADflyer]

Well. That leaves about 80 to 100 or more possibilities.

 

Have you ever used opaque booking sites like Hotwire, Priceline or Lastminute.com?

 

Spain has a system where hotels themselves decide if they are 3, 4 or 5 star and pay an additional tax to move up. This means that standards within a category can vary greatly.

 

What star level are you thinking to begin with? Is there a range in euros you are thinking?

 

Even what terminal you fly out from can make a difference as terminal. T2 is reached with metro, while T4 is reached by the local train, circanias as well. Circanias leave from Atocha, Sol and Nuevos Ministeros. The 8 metro to T2 is caught from Nuevos ministeros.

 

That said, Madrid now has a fixed rate taxi system to the airport for just 30 euros from anywhere in the city center.

 

From Atocha station, you are looking at Prado district right there, moving up Calle Atocha toward Plaza Santa Ana zone and then Sol which is the true center of the city and can get very busy. Then you have the Gran Via, with lots of traffic, but central to all.

 

Occasionally you will see offers in Spain book 3 nights, pay 2.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

We stayed at the Petit Palace Savoy Alfonso XII http://en.petitpalacesavoyalfonsoxii.com/

 

It is European with the lower beds (which I'm not fond of) and had a nice bathroom. The hotel offers a buffet breakfast for 20 Euros a day. I scoffed at this until it was AM and I "needed" coffee. It was a fantastic buffet. We decided to pig out and make it our big meal for the day. I really liked the location of this hotel. Very central and within walking distance to the Prado and across the street from the Retiro Park, which is lovely. This is a nice part of the city.

 

One thing- we walked around at night and a pickpocket stuck her hand in my son's jacket pocket. Very brazen. It was a middle aged woman and I looked at her and she just kept walking. So definitely watch your belongings.

 

We also stayed at the Hilton Madrid Airport but I really didn't like this hotel at all. Its was a very dark, ultra modern hotel with nothing within walking distance. The buffet breakfast was ok. Not up to the Hilton standard.

Edited June 24, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[cruisemuse13]

I am looking for a hotel, downtown, where we can walk to restaurants at night; that has clean rooms with a safe in the room; has a lift; has a private bathroom;breakfast included would be nice but not essential;

 

I have looked at websites such as TripAdvisor, and Expedia, but there are so many hotels, it is nice to have some suggestions from people to narrow the search. It is also helpful to hear from people who have stayed there and not rely only on the hotel website or posted reviews that might be sincere or a "plant'.

 

thank you for taking the time to reply.

[MADflyer]

As you are arriving by train at Atocha, I am going to recommend the ME Madrid Reina Victoria. This is a great location on Plaza Santa Ana and Plaza Angel and the area is covered with restaurants and cafes frequented by locals.

 

The great thing about this area is you can walk to Plaza Mayor, Opera and Palace area, down to the Prado and triangle of art with the Reina Sofia Museum and even up to the Gran Via and then finally the true center of the city which is SOL, where you would catch the local train to the airport. They also have a 24 hour taxi stand right at that plaza and hotel.

 

The ME might fall at the top end of your expectations but if you research the area there are many very good hotels in the district.

 

This hotel was a full renovated property about 8 years ago, but was going to be the Hard Rock Hotel Madrid, but financing fell apart and Melia started a new brand with this property as the flagship. The hotel also has a history as the location where the 'bull fighting' community stayed when in Madrid.

 

Good luck hunting, if you want to look for something else. If you use one of the referral websites that stars with K (small boat) , it should lead you to some good booking channels. This hotel does appear on hotwire as a 4.5 star occasionally. Another site for searching for Logi and travel can sometimes include breakfast for same rate.