Madrid - Hotel Preciados vs Hotel Europa

My husband and I stayed at Hotel Europa for one night last October. The location is right in the heart of everything (on Puerto del Sol) and close to a Metro stop. We took a taxi from the Hotel to the Airport. They do serve breakfast, but it is in a room off their restaurant and a basic Continental was 7.70 Euros. There is a great patisserie on the corner and we should have skipped breakfast and got pastry and coffee there. Overall the hotel was clean and reasonably priced, but not our favorite in Spain.

Had a great trip to Madrid, it is really a lovely city.

Sandy

Personally, I would avoid anything around Puerta del Sol. Many like the area, very busy and a lot going on, some don't. Too many shady characters in the area for me. I've stayed in Hotel Preciados. It's what you would expect from a decent business hotel. There are restaurants & shopping and a subway stop nearby. I reserved the cheapest rate room available and got a tiny room with no exterior window. You may want to pay up for a nicer room. Of the four hotels I've stayed in Madrid, my first choice would be the budget "Ibis Styles Madrid Prado". It's between Sol and the Prado in an older area with dark, narrow streets. The neighborhood isn't that special, but I thought it was more interesting than some other areas of the city. It's about 5 to 10 minutes to Puerta del Sol or the Prado.

We’ve stayed hotel Europa twice and loved the location. The Sol metro stop is yards away from the hotel. We could look out our window and watch all the happenings in the Puerta del Sol. If you don’t like the noise, close the windows as they are very soundproof. Between 2014 and 2017 its rooms underwent some major renovations and the hotel expanded. It was ongoing when we were there in May 2017. It does NOT have its own restaurant so breakfast is at the cafeteria next door and not worth the price. We walked a few minutes down the street to have churros and chocolate at historic Chocolateria San Gines. I haven’t stayed at the other hotel. There is a huge El Corte Ingles department store by the hotel as well as a bunch of other stores. The Gran Via is only a few minutes walk away.

As going234 stated, there are some shady characters that occasionally hang out in the plaza (not at the hotel) but one sees them all over the city, including sleeping in the Plaza Mayor. Some women of the night do hang out a couple blocks behind the hotel (believe it’s along Calle de la Abada) but they just stand there and don’t bother anybody. It wouldn’t stop me from staying at hotel Europa.

It's a few years since our last time in Madrid, but we've stayed at the Preciados three times, and loved it. We typically get premium top floor rooms, with frigid air conditioning and a window where you can stick your head above the roof. I'd have to say that it's a gut renovation of an old mansion, so some might find it too Scandinavian Wood and Marble, but it's a medium to high end business hotel, with a small but attractive breakfast room (a restaurant at night.)

Have never stayed at the Europa, but I hate the location idea (like staying in Times Square or Picadilly), and Preciados is an easy walk to P del Sol if you're going there. I don't know which one has more rooms, but Preciados isn't very big.

The Preciados subway stop is Callao, but I don't think Sol calls for any fewer changes to get to the airport.

We stayed at the Europa as a 2 night stay last year, in September, as part of a Rick Steves' tour. I assume it was selected due to the central location, as other posters have indicated.

Our room looked out onto an alleyway, and was very quiet.

The service was fantastic!

If you are interested in the location of the Europa, this is a great webcam that shows the immediate area where the hotel is sited.
https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/espana/comunidad-de-madrid/madrid/puerta-del-sol.html

Lynn

Thank you all for the insight.
I'm going to book Hotel Europa without breakfast.