As dawn breaks over Madrid, you may be in your last stretch of sleep before a breakfast of churros con chocolate, or it might finally be time to head back after a night out. Either way, the Spanish capital has an array of hotels to fit the bill – frequently with an imaginative design to make fresh use of a historic building. Whichever barrio you base yourself in, from centuries-old streets around Plaza Mayor to the nightlife hotspots north of Gran Vía and the stately avenues of Chamberí and Salamanca, you’ll find plenty of choices for rest in a restless city.
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1. Urso Hotel & Spa, Justicia
Quietly luxurious behind its exuberant 19th-century façade, the Urso is impressive value for a five-star hotel. Bedrooms (some with minimalist four-posters) are decorated in cream and other toned-down shades, but there’s a more fanciful attitude in public areas such as the conservatory where breakfast is served, with its floral Chinoiserie prints on the walls. The well-appointed spa and fitness centre includes a hydromassage pool. The location, north of the centre, isn’t near many big-ticket sights, but the shopping and nightlife hubs of Malasaña and Chueca are an easy walk away.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££
Main photo: The Westin Palace, Cortes, see number 7 below (Expedia)
2. Hotel Santo Mauro, Chamberi
The arched entry gate and villa architecture of Hotel Santo Mauro suggest an embassy residence, and indeed this former ducal palace once represented Canada. Now part of the Autograph Collection, it has kept its classical interiors while making room for abstract artworks and mid-century-style furniture in the bedrooms. There’s a more elaborate feel to the lounges, bar and restaurant — the last decorated in keeping with its original role as the duke’s library. Beyond the terrace garden is the upscale Chamberi neighbourhood, including the Museo Sorolla, dedicated to the namesake Impressionist artist.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £££
3. Posada del León de Oro, La Latina
A one-time travellers’ inn set among the tapas bars on Calle Cava Baja, this hotel offers 17 rooms in a central location five minutes’ walk from Plaza Mayor. You’ll definitely sense you are in one of the oldest parts of the city (look down through the restaurant’s glass floor to see wine bottles arranged around the remains of a medieval wall), but although many of the bedrooms have wood-beamed ceilings, the style is otherwise suavely contemporary. One other tradition is proudly maintained: cocido madrileño, a chickpea and meat stew best enjoyed in winter.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £
4. Gran Hotel Inglés, Las Letras
When the Gran Hotel Inglés opened in 1886, reporters marvelled at its lifts, lighting and other innovations. Madrid’s oldest hotel hasn’t stayed stuck in the past, however. Instead of Belle Époque flourishes, you’ll find the subtlest of art deco touches, behind a largely white, velvety grey and saffron colour scheme. Many bedrooms have freestanding rolltop baths. It’s a bit of a surprise to find such a prestigious address on a narrow side street, but the city centre setting is excellent: close to Puerta del Sol, and well placed for the Prado Museum.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price £££
5. Generator Madrid, Los Austrias
For a budget-conscious stay in a central location, there are few more exciting options than this member of the Generator group of upscale hostels, which has private en suite rooms alongside dorms. The industrial-chic design fits the five-storey former 1930s petrol station and car park, which is crowned by a terrace overlooking the rooftops of the city’s historic core. Here you’ll find two hot-tubs, a food vendor and a cocktail bar. The hostel stands just off dynamic Gran Via, and also ten minutes’ walk from the Royal Palace.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £
6. Hotel Urban, Las Letras
Though it’s very close to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, one of the corners of Madrid’s “Golden Triangle of Art”, this 96-room hotel offers cultural exploration of its own, even without setting foot outside onto stately Carrera de San Jeronimo. Asian and Oceanian art is dotted throughout the public areas and the polished guest rooms, with a gallery dedicated to Papua New Guinea. Add to this a small rooftop pool and terrace, plus Cebo — a Michelin-starred, “progressive Mediterranean” restaurant — and you’ve got yourself a sophisticated package in the heart of the capital.
Spa N
Pool Y
Price ££
7. The Westin Palace, Cortes
With the Spanish parliament to one side, and Paseo del Prado — priciest square on the Madrid Monopoly board — to the other, this is a grande dame with neighbours to match. The largest hotel in Europe when it opened in 1912, it became a favourite of Dalí and Picasso, while the cocktail bar is mentioned in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Rooms are a mix of century-old elegance and contemporary tastes. The centrepiece is La Rotonda restaurant with its stained-glass cupola, open from breakfast to dinner, and also Sunday “opera brunches”.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price £££
8. Only You Boutique, Chueca
One of two Only You hotels in town, this 19th-century mansion has seen its patrician interiors given an eclectic recharge by designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán, with embossed navy-blue headboards in the bedrooms, mirrored porcelain display cabinets in the atrium restaurant, and a lobby wall seemingly made of white travel trunks. There’s a 24-hour gym and a Thai (more pan-Asian, really) wellness room. To the east of this boutique hotel are grand institutions such as the national library, while three streets to the west is Plaza de Chueca, heart of LGBT+ Madrid.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price ££
9. Sleep’N Atocha, Lavapiés
Sleep may famously be the last thing on many Madrileños’ minds, but this is precisely a place to come for a night’s rest (with a pillow menu to boot). The modern rooms are generally small but well thought out. There’s more vibrant design in the dining and co-working spaces, which include a covered rooftop for breakfast and occasional film nights. The Reina Sofia art museum is just yards away, and you’re also within easy suitcase-trundling distance of Madrid’s main train station.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £
10. Hotel Wellington, Salamanca
Running since 1952, the Wellington is among the more traditional five-star hotels in Madrid. But although many parts have a vintage club feel, with plush armchairs and cabriole-leg tables, an innovative spirit is at work, too. Dining options include a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant, and there’s a rooftop organic kitchen garden with a table of its own for a special meal. The outdoor pool with lounging terrace in the central courtyard is decently sized for a city hotel, and just one block away is the Retiro Park, the city’s finest green space.
Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££
11. Hotel Riu Plaza España, Malasaña
The ancient temple of Debod, relocated from Egypt, stands in parkland, while nearby on the other side of Plaza de España looms a building that’s almost pyramid-like in scale. Opened in 1953, the 27-floor Edificio España was converted in 2019 to a hotel with more than 550 rooms and suites. The late art deco styling creates the impression of an institution that’s been a city fixture for longer, with showstopping features including an outdoor pool on the 21st floor, and a sky bar and terrace at the building’s pinnacle.
Spa N
Pool Y
Price ££
12. Palacio Pl Conde de Miranda, Los Austrias
On a quiet square in Los Austrias, the city’s oldest district, between the Plaza Mayor and Royal Palace, an austere-looking brick building takes on a raft of personalities as soon as you push past the heavy wooden door. The 26 kitchen-equipped apartments are named and decorated (obliquely or directly) in homage to all-time great pairings: Don Quixote and Dulcinea, Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, Han and Leia, Ross and Rachel. With some suites sleeping up to six, it’s full of flexibility for families, and depending on the theme, kids may appreciate the decor.
Spa N
Pool N
Price ££
13. Hostal Persal, Las Letras
A duck-egg-blue townhouse from 1871 standing just off a cobbled plaza, Hostal Persal is a dependably inexpensive choice less than ten minutes’ walk from Puerta del Sol, the official centre point of Madrid, and all Spanish roads. The 80 rooms are all en suite, and include triples and quadruples. The overall style is functional, but with vintage elements, including worn-in leather armchairs in the lobby and a brick-vaulted space downstairs. The surrounding Barrio de las Letras was home to many Spanish Golden Age writers in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Spa N
Pool N
Price £
14. Rosewood Villa Magna, Salamanca
Standing tall on leafy Paseo de la Castellana, Villa Magna was always something of a surprise. The bland 1970s exterior did little to suggest this was one of Madrid’s most luxurious hotels. After refurbishment, it’s set to reopen as part of the Rosewood group, with its 154 rooms and suites taking a slightly bolder design approach than the previous incarnation with its ultra-restrained colours and classical furnishings. The Sense spa will be a showpiece. The hotel backs onto the Salamanca district, home of some of the city’s most refined shopping and dining.
Spa Y
Pool N
Price £££
Best things to do in Madrid
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Inspired to visit Madrid but yet to book your trip? Here are the best ExpediaandBritish Airways breaks to the cosmopolitan city. And if you’re still unsure of where you want to go or what type of holiday to book, get in touch hereand one of the Designer Travel experts will be in contact to help you arrange your perfect tailor-made break