Where to stay in Madrid

A popular one for forum members is Hotel Europa at the Puerta Del Sol. We’ve stayed at it a few times and like it and its location. We’ve also stayed at Petit Palace Posada del Peine by the Plaza Mayor. Some friends of ours stayed at Hotel Francisco I in 2022 and liked it.

There are plenty to choose from depending on the style you prefer, cost, and the area of the city you want to stay in.

We found The Principal in a NYT article about Madrid. We enjoyed it’s location in walking distance to so many museums and Retiro Park.
The room was a modern design.

I liked the Europa, and also the Moderno about a block away, also on Puerto del Sol.

My one and only trip to Madrid was in October 2017, and the Artrip was the perfect choice for us.

https://www.artriphotel.com/en

We love the Room Mate Alba in the Las Letras neighborhood. Stayed there twice in 2023 (2 trips to Spain) and coming back in the spring of 2024. Convenient to many places to eat, Atocha train station and Metro. Plus easy to walk from there to much of the city, including Retiro Park.

We liked the Hotel Preciados in our stay there last year. Nice enough area and had us walking to lots of sites.

We are staying at Apartosuites Jardines de Sabatini in January. This will be our third stay at this hotel.

The rooms have kitchenettes, and are large by European standards. Excellent location, some rooms have views off the palace.

I just got back from Madrid and walked past the often mentioned Hotel Europa. I would not want to stay right there on Puerta Del Sol - it was noisy and the site of many demonstrations they have been having.

We stayed at Hotel Catalonia Plaza Mayor and it was fantastic. The location was ideal for walking everywhere and the rooms were soundproof.

Yes, the Puerta Del Sol is where plenty of demonstrations take place, but there aren’t demonstrations every day. It’s been like that for decades. The windows at Hotel Europa are very soundproof. When closed, you can’t hear all the activity in the plaza. If you get a room facing the plaza it’s a great place to watch everything going on.

Is the work completed on Puerta del Sol? When we were there last fall (2022), it was undergoing massive construction - redoing the pavement and maybe some other upgrades. It was a maze of paths through the work.

Is the work completed on Puerta del Sol? When we were there last fall (2022), it was undergoing massive construction - redoing the pavement and maybe some other upgrades. It was a maze of paths through the work.

Yes, it seems completed, except they were now constructing Christmas decorations (I think?).

Yes, the Puerta Del Sol is where plenty of demonstrations take place, but there aren’t demonstrations every day. It’s been like that for decades.

Since the OP is going in January things might still be in a state of upheaval. See https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/in-madrid-this-week-read-this

Yes, construction has been completed. The road was removed, the statue of Carlos III was moved to a new location, more benches were put it, and the old kiosks were replaced with new glass enclosed shops at either end of the plaza. The Oso y Madroño statue is in the same place as is the Tío Pepe sign.

We also need a Madrid hotel for 3 nights in January, so I am interested in those recommended here.

One thing I always seek is a room with a stand-up shower. That is difficult in some European cities.

Any recommendations or buzzwords to find rooms with a shower in Spain?