Suggested hotels in Madrid

We have used Hotel Europa several times. Remodeled in the last four or five years. About as central as you can get right on Puerta del Sol. We prefer the rooms to the front with the little French balcony BUT those rooms can be a little noisy because they overlook the mall. We like throwing the doors, having a glass of wine, and watch the crowds flow by. The rooms to the back are very quiet.

I stayed at the Hotel Moderno on Calle Arenal last fall and was very satisfied with the hotel and it's staff. You cannot get too much more central than this one which is only about 150 meters off of Puerto Del Sol. Even this close to the action, I had no real problems with excessive street noise. An excellent hotel in a great location!

I've stayed a couple of times at Hotel Casón del Tormes and been very happy, it's on a quiet side street off the Gran Vía near Plaza de España.

We are staying in Hotel Moderno in October, and I'm glad to read that someone else has stayed there recently with a positive experience!! Can't wait!!

I have stayed at both Hotel Europa (already mentioned) and Hotel Opera. Hotel Opera is located near the Royal Palace and is less than 10-minute walk to Puerta Del Sol. I recommend both of them.

We've stayed at the Hotel Preciados three times, and prefer it to the more "authentic" places in Rick's book. It is gut-renovated, has individual air conditioning, and is near a Metro to the airport, as well as "near" Puerto del Sol. And it still has some Spanish flavor to the dining room and staff service. We found it very quiet, because of the A/C and the double-windows.

I stayed at Hotel Europa 2 years ago and was pleased. I went back this year and was not disappointed . . . except for their restaurant, which I tried for the first (and last) time. But there are many great places to get every kind of food at every hour very close to the hotel. What I enjoy most is the extra-friendly, helpful staff.

It's easy to get to from Atocha train station using the suburban train (Cercanias) and not the metro. From the Cercanias there's an elevator up to street level, then a few meters walk to the hotel. The metro makes more stops and then you have at least one flight of stairs.

We stayed in Hotel Atlantico on Gran Via, close to 2 subway lines, easy walk to attractions. Wonderful top floor common rooms & 2 outdoor patios with bar service. Try the food court on the top floor of the El Corte Ingles Dept store, Plaza Callao just south of Gran Via. Nice sunset views and tapas.

If you like AirBnb, I have stayed in two EXCELLENT places in Madrid within the past year. Both owners are easily accessible, the apartments are well located and have washing machines. PM me if you'd like the links.

Just returned from Madrid. We stayed at Hotel Regina (near the Puerto del Sol). We had a deluxe room facing the street (Calle Alcala). The hotel was ultra modern and very clean and well run. The windows were the type that shut out the noise very well. However, during the day, there is a large construction project going on across the street. A large building is being renovated into retail and hotel space, just the facade of an older building remains. In other words, this construction will be going on for quite some time. The breakfast buffet was very good with plenty of selection and real coffee (not those Nescafe machines found in many other Spanish hotels). And the location was excellent. Steps from Puerto del Sol, an easy walk to Plaza Mayor and in the other direction to the Prado.

Location wise in Madrid I like around Plaza Santa Ana which has a young vibe and lots of restaurant and bar choices for the evening. For the sights it is midway between the museums and Plaza Mayor/Royal Palace. Convenient for Atocha station too. 4star Catalonia Las Cortes is located well here. http://en.catalonialascortes.com/

I have stayed at Hotel Europa and highly recommend it. The location is great and hotel is clean and comfortable. It's pretty easy to get there from the airport using the train.

Just stayed here a couple of weeks ago. http://www.jardinesdesabatini.com/en/ We liked it. It was clean, right across from the palace, up the street from a train station (not the main one, but you can get there from the airport by commuter train, for example), between two metro stops, and walking distance to areas like Plaza Mayor. I chose it because it is rated highly on Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g187514-d1657593-Reviews-ApartoSuites_Jardines_de_Sabatini-Madrid.html