Madrid - Hotel Europa or Hotel Preciados

I've only stayed at Hotel Europa. I stayed there twice in 2010. I found it quite comfortable and I would definitely go back. I loved the location and location is generally my first priority when choosing a hotel. I don't really remember much about the beds so that means that I found them to be fine. I only remember the really bad beds. Both of the rooms that I had were interior views so they did not overlook Puerta del Sol. Both were very quiet. However, I've had good luck with hotels I've chosen based on tripadvisor reviews so if you read the detailed reviews and one appeals to you more, then go with it.

Have used Hotel Europa four times. It is our preferred hotel. There is no hotel more centrally located. We like getting the front rooms with the French balcony so we can look out over the square. But it can be a little more noisy because of the location. There is a decent restaurant that is part of the hotel and hotel, itself, was renovated within the last few years. Comfortable beds?? Have no idea what your standards are. We rarely find uncomfortable beds so it hardily crosses our minds. Beds are beds at least for us.

Frank - I think Laura's comment is how I feel. I don't remember if it's a good bed but I definitely remember the bad beds. So, usually, if you forget it, it was probably ok :) Sometimes, just looking at pictures, you can't tell what the bed is like. I've stayed at a few places where the beds feel like box springs. That's not a good bed. Considering this is the tail end of our trip, we're probably going to be tired so a good bed would be nice. We walked probably 10-15 miles/day when we went to Italy (my only other big trip) so I'm just comparing how I felt then to how I might feel this time around. If the Hotel Europa is comfy, then I think I might prefer that location. Thanks for your help. Keep it coming!

Both are nice hotels, recently renovated, and recommended by Rick Steves, but I think the Hotel Europa has had a longer-standing listing. The rooms of Hotel Europa look much bigger, too. Hotel Europa, on the corner of the Puerta del Sol, could not be more central, really. This is truly & definitely "the heart" of Madrid. Could it be noisy? It could, yes, particularly if your room is facing the plaza itself and not the (very busy pedestrian) Calle Carmen. If you have bad luck and there's a demonstration in that plaza that may be unsettling, but they don't tend to last all night - most of them take place at mid-day on the weekends, but this plaza is where most of them are held. Hotel Preciados is on a corner of the pedestrian, upper, west-bound off-shoot of Calle de Preciados and the (one-lane, one-way car-traffic) Calle de Veneras. Depending on the side of the street your room faces will decide how noisy it will be. The traffic-side doesn't get much traffic at all, but that street is narrower and there are a number of bars and some night clubs there. The pedestrian side, the wide Calle de Preciados, is now an up-and-coming area with some nice bars, nice terrace bars/restaurants, and some shops. This corner faces the Plaza de Santo Domingo - which isn't a particularly nice-looking place, but it's modern, recently renovated with stone and concrete - and the plaza apparently has free wi-fi internet. This is also very central and, in my opinion, a quieter area than the Hotel Europa on the Puerta del Sol. Here, you'll have a much lighter concentration of tourists, too. This hotel's website goes so far as to show you a photo of their mattresses! Saludos, MadridMan - AND BarcelonaMan - @ you-know-where!

Thank you Madrid Man! I looked at the traveler photos on TA & the room pictures on Hotel Preciados' site but did not see the mattress picture until you pointed it out. Now, that's a comfy looking mattress! Thanks for clarity on the streets near the hotel too. We haven't decided yet b/c both hotels seem like great picks for different reasons. We'll be in Madrid May 29-June 2. I don't know much about San Isidro but do you think it will have any impact on either the crowds at Puerto del Sol or availability at hotels? Thanks, kristy

I've stayed at the Europa and the rooms are all nicely renovated and very modern. Feels more like a nice American style room with spacious bathrooms etc... So the beds should be fine. They have quiet courtyard rooms (no view) or street/plaza views. I've had both and the street room has shutters to close off the noise/lights some. I didn't think noise was an issue. The attached restaurant is good for a light breakfast.

I've only stayed at Hotel Europa (twice) and loved it. There are many hard beds in Spain, this wasn't a place I remember having one. All upgraded rooms, nothing "old" looking. No noise issues that I remember, and on one night my room faced the square. The "view" wasn't memorable (try another city for that sort of thing). I caught the tail end of a San Isidoro parade by chance and it wasn't a crowd buster (hard to tell, it was a Saturday and the square was packed). My two cents: if you're looking for specific comfort levels at the end of a trip, go with a better grade hotel.

We have stayed at the Preciados. We also had lunch at the Europa. We were on the top floor of the Preciados and were very happy with it. They have a computer for the guests. The decor is very modern in both the rooms and the baths. We didn't experience any noise at all but I'm not sure which side of the buiding we were on. The staff was very helpful and the walk to the Plaza wasn't far at all - perhaps 4/5 minutes. We ate at the Europa. The location, as noted, can't be more central but when we were there it couldn't have been restful. The Plaza is very 'active'. Many folks enjoy the Europa. If you do it, be sure to request a room away from the Plaza.

Hello, again, Kristy! You'll be in Madrid from May 29-June 2. Unfortunately, you'll miss the city's 4 or 5 days of events leading up to THE BIG DAY, "San Isidro", on 15 May. ( take a look at last year's schedule) The San Isidro bullfight festival will start a few days before the 15th of May and last about a month, with bullfights nearly daily. Expect to pay high prices for bullfights during the year's (and the country's) most popular bullfight festival. That said, it's possible that hotel room availability could be somewhat more scarce. But Madrid has LOTS of hotels. Out-of-towners (Spaniards) attending these bullfights tend to stay in the upper-scale hotels, I believe. As for the Puerta del Sol itself, you won't notice any difference in human concentration, no. Saludos, MadridMan - AND BarcelonaMan - @ you-know-where!

I've stayed at Hotel Europa in the spring of 2009. We had a 3rd floor corner view of the square which would've been beautiful but they were doing construction on the entire outside of the building and a lot of the square so our window actually opened directly to scaffolding I could've walked out onto. Overall our experience there was great, the room wasn't too small and it was centrally located. I'd gladly stay there again as you just can't predict construction like that.

I appreciate the feedback everyone. Now, it's up to my bf to give his opinion based on what you guys have provided. Thanks,
me

We stayed at Hotel Europa last May. First two nights we had a balcony but preferred the interior rooms looking at the mellow courtyard. Comfie beds, internet downstairs, El Cortes department store right across the street for water and snacks.