Best hotels in Madrid 2022: City centre sights and noteworthy nightlife
Annie Bennett shares her pick of the best hotels in the Spanish capital
Koichiko
Don’t settle for a boring hotel in Madrid. Groovy new hostels and revamped palaces have cool roof terraces, top restaurant chefs and cocktail lists so tempting that you may never leave the bar.
Wherever you choose to stay, you can drop into any of the places on this list for a drink or dinner and get some inspiration for your next visit – Madrid tends to become a bit of a habit for many people.
The best hotels in Madrid are:
Gran Hotel Ingles may be one of Madrid's oldest hotels, but it retains a contemporary feel
(Gran Hotel Ingles)
Neighbourhood: Barrio de las Letras
Madrid’s first proper hotel – dating back to 1886 – reopened in spring 2018 with a glamorous new look and the feel of a private club. Located in the centre of the Barrio de Las Letras, one of the city’s liveliest and most characterful areas, this five-star hotel has sumptuous rooms and suites with free-standing baths and local craft beer chilling in the minibar. Two-Michelin-starred chef Fernando Arellano is at the helm in the Casa Lobo restaurant and the afternoon cocktails in the lobby bar are always a good idea.
Price: Doubles from €450 (£376)
The black bear chair and artwork in The Pavilion's lobby
(The Pavilions Madrid)
Neighbourhood: Chamberí
The first thing you see when you walk into The Pavilions is a huge black bear lying in the lobby. Fear not – it’s actually an artwork that doubles up as a squashy sofa. The Álvaro Alcázar gallery provides changing selections of paintings and sculptures in this new boutique hotel, which is just beyond the more touristy areas but still walking distance for shops, restaurants and museums. Raspberry, teal and tangerine tones dominate the rooms – no bland minimalism here.
Price: Doubles from €165 (£140)
Neighbourhood: Gran Vía
With one of the nicest rooftop bars in the city – with drinks at sensible rather than silly prices – located in the heart of Madrid, the Generator gets you straight into the swing of the Spanish capital. If you like the hostel buzz but want a bit more comfort, opt for a private room instead of a dorm bed. But, if a gang of you are going to Madrid for the weekend, up the fun factor by staying in the eight-bed party dorm on the roof.
Price: Doubles from €67 (£56)
The Botania Bistro at VP Plaza de España
(VP Plaza de España)
Neighbourhood: Plaza de España
It’s all about the 12th floor at this massive new luxury hotel, where both Madrilenians and guests love the wraparound terrace and huge restaurant and bar spaces with 360° views across the city to the Sierra de Guadarrama. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows too, so you can also take in the cityscape from your bed – the best are on the 15th to 17th floors. At ground level, you can gaze across the Plaza de España from the hydrotherapy pool in the Biloba spa or grab a bite in the Botania bistro.
Price: Doubles from €358 (£300)
Kick back in the contemporary confines of 7 Islas
(7 Islas)
Neighbourhood: Malasaña
Swerve by the bar as you enter the industrial-style lobby and prepare to get seriously distracted by the potions created by Narciso Bermejo. He likes to customise his range of gins, matching each guest’s taste with herbs from the mountains near Madrid – the perfect way to kick off a night trawling the bars of Malasaña. Book one of the top-floor Ático rooms to get a terrace with sunbeds and yoga mats.
Price: Doubles from €94 (£79)
The Detalle Junior Suite at Heritage Madrid
(Heritage Madrid)
Neighbourhood: Salamanca
The city’s newest five-star hotel, in an elegant Belle Époque building in Madrid’s smartest area, has exquisite interiors by coveted designer Lorenzo Castillo. Blue silk panels adorn the walls in the Haroma restaurant, which is overseen by Michelin-starred chef Mario Sandoval. Rooms have hand-painted wallpaper in olive and gold and are furnished with antiques and original artworks. If you happen to have a special question to pop, the flower-filled roof terrace of this luxury hotel should fit the bill.
Price: Doubles from €383 (£321)
Room Mate Óscar's rooftop pool area is one of the most fashionable summer hang-outs in Madrid
(Room Mate Óscar)
Neighbourhood: Chueca
Tired of taupe temples? The Room Mate Óscar will bring a bit of zing back into your life, with an emerald and blue lobby and orange, black and white rooms. The rooftop pool is one of the most fashionable spots to hang out in summer and the cocktail bar up there stays open all year round. Overlooking a square in Chueca – Madrid’s main gay area and one of the coolest neighbourhoods – the Óscar is surrounded by cafés and restaurants. For more information take a look at our full review of Room Mate Óscar.
Price: Doubles from €113 (£95)
Contemporary chic is the order of the day at Tótem
(Tótem)
Neighbourhood: Salamanca
The Tótem is on the corner of two of the loveliest streets in Madrid, which just happen to be lined with upmarket boutiques. There’s a lot of navy and charcoal, but cerise and purple pop up too, while indigo sofas in the bar are conducive to decadent slouching when you slope back with your shopping haul. With a restaurant that is packed with well-heeled locals and mid-century modern style in the rooms, the Tótem exudes chic glamour.
Price: Doubles from €208 (£174)
Enjoy drinks at the Radio ME roof terrace
(ME Reina de Victoria)
Neighbourhood: Barrio de las Letras
You can always find your way back to this gleaming white building as a purple beacon shines from the slate turret on the corner. Located on Plaza de Santa Ana, with its pavement cafés and tapas bars, the hotel is right in the thick of things, but the fabulous food at the trendy Ana La Santa restaurant at street level and the cocktails up on the Radio ME roof terrace mean you might struggle to leave the premises.
Price: Doubles from €181 (£152)
Enjoy the Spanish sunset from the roof of Only You
(Only You)
Neighbourhood: Chueca
With snazzy interiors by in-demand designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán and a location between the bars of Chueca and the boutiques of Salesas, the Only You Boutique is chic without reaching peak hipster. Unusually, rooms are available for 24 hours from the time you check in, so you can sleep late and there’s no mad scramble down to breakfast either, as you can eat whenever it suits you. A spiral staircase leads up to suite 416, which has a pitched, beamed ceiling. It’s like your own super stylish loft in Madrid, if only for a weekend.
Price: Doubles from €282 (£236)
Room Mate Alba
(Room Mate Alba)
Neighbourhood: Barrio de las Letras
This is the latest opening from the cool Room Mate group, which has four other hotels in Madrid. The Alba, in a handsome traditional building, is on one of the best streets in the city for bars and restaurants, but is also a short stroll from the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia museums. The decor combines Turkish and Chinese details with Op-Art features, a bit of Bauhaus and quite a few other influences too. It’s all rather louche and decadent – a perfect fit for a barrio that was once home to writers such as Cervantes and Lope de Vega.
Price: Doubles from €129 (£108)
Pestana
(Pestana)
Neighbourhood: Madrid de los Austrias
Occupying the historic Casa de la Carnicería building, which forms part of Madrid’s landmark square, the Plaza Mayor, this new hotel is literally part of the fabric of the city. Contemporary design in the courtyard bar and restaurant draws on the gold, teal and mauve tones used by Velázquez and Goya. Up on the roof, you can gaze across the skyline of slate pinnacles as you slump on a red deckchair by the guests-only pool. In winter, you might prefer to loll in the sumptuous hammam under the brick vaults of the former cellars.
Price: Doubles from €207 (£173)
Relax in the refined Italianate terrace
(Hotel Orfila)
Neighbourhood: Almagro
The ornate design at this boutique hotel still oozes old-school charm. On a quiet street in an elegant, untouristy area that is close to shops, museums and restaurants, the hotel has classic decor in the rooms and a secret Italianate garden at the back. Shaded tables mean you might be still be lingering over your breakfast coffee at noon and the terrace is equally inviting for lunch and dinner. You could almost forget to venture out into the city.
Price: Doubles from €482 (£404)
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