With a carpe diem attitude about its nightlife, Madrid is truly the Spanish city that never sleeps. But even if you don’t plan on sleeping much, you’ll probably need a place to take a shower and drop your luggage. Hotels in Madrid run the gamut from dingy to dynamite. For the most part, many of the centrally located hotels in Madrid, and the cheap hotels in Madrid, start as low as 3000pesetas a night, or less if you want to book an extended stay.
If you arrive in Madrid and haven’t booked a room, you can find information about a particular hotel in Madrid at the Estacion Sur de Autobusus, Chamartin train station, and at the airport. The main factor to consider when choosing a hotel in Madrid is the location. If you are looking for a place near Old Town, try the area around Plaza de Santa Ana or Plaza Mayor. If nightlife is what you crave, the Malasana or Cheuca areas may be the best option. If you have a few pesetas to drop and are looking for something a bit classier and quieter try the Paseo del Prado, Salamanca, or Recoletos areas.
Located a block away from the Prado, the Gran Hotel Canaries is among the most reasonable and luxurious hotels Madrid Spain has to offer. At one time the residence of a count, the Canaries has spacious rooms with hand painted tapestries at a more affordable price than the many of the five-star hotels near the Prado.
A hidden gem of a hotel in Madrid is the elegant Orfila. Built in 1886, the Orfila is tucked away on a residential street near the Plaza Colon. The English-speaking staff is helpful. The rooms are beautifully restored, the bathrooms are spacious, and there is ample space to relax. The subway stop is three blocks away, and it is a pleasant 15 minute walk down the Paseo de Recoletos to the Gran Via, Madrid’s main street. Also in walking distance is the shopping district of Salamanca, and the bar and band hotspots of Cheuca.
Perhaps the most centrally located accommodation in Madrid, the Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin is a stone’s throw from the city’s most celebrated monument, the Convent of Descalzas, and just a few hundred meters from the Puerta del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de Orient.
Just off the beautiful tree-lined Paseo de La Castellana, the Hotel Villa Real faces Spain’s parliament and is conveniently close to almost everything, particularly the Prado and the Thysse-Bornemisza museums. The lounges and the hallways are decorated with Roman mosaics and vases from the third and fourth century, making this hotel something of a museum in itself.
If you are planning an extended stay in Spain’s capital, cheap hotels in Madrid are available if you are willing to bargain a bit. Another trick to finding a cheap accommodation in Madrid is to look for hostel rooms on the upper floors of apartment buildings. But, then again, who really wants to fall asleep in Madrid anyway.
