Hostal Gran Duque, Madrid

Advantages: convenient location, clean quiet and comfortable
Disadvantages: single room a touch on the small side, breakfast quite pricey compared with local cafés.

...I stayed in the Gran Hotel Conde Duque for five nights when attending a conference which I had been organising in Madrid last October. As I work for a non-profit organisation my remit was to ensure that my accommodation was not overly expensive - no easy task, as well as being one of the official conference hotels. By booking on Activehotels.com I was able to get a single room for EUR 91 (ca. GBP 63) a night – coming out at just under EUR 98 (ca GBP 70) a night including the mandatory sales tax. This was substantially cheaper than the “reduced rate” of EUR 135 (ca. GBP 97) excluding tax being offered for single occupancy of a double room by our conference partners. It should of course be noted that as with nearly all hotels in Madrid, prices are exclusive of breakfast – for breakfast you will pay approx EUR12 (ca. GBP 8) extra. I did... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Lively, great for culture, food, shopping
Disadvantages: Extremes of temperatures, can be noisy all night

...Madrid is one of those cities, like Brasilia or Islamabad, which were invented for political reasons, rather than springing up organically because it had a natural harbour, or was on a confluence of rivers, or a fertile plain. It shouldn't really exist, perched as it is deep in the dusty interior of Spain, intolerably hot at the height of summer, and often bitterly cold in winter. It's the artificial capital of a maritime nation, a seafood loving nation, stranded as far from the sea as is possible on the Iberian peninsula. Yet despite everything, including the still recent dull, soul sapping Francoist interregnum, Madrid is a thrilling city to visit, with something for everyone (except beach lovers, obviously). It's possible to stay cheaply in Madrid in one of the many hostales lurking in places like Fuencarral off the Gran Via... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...If you're looking for somewhere atmospheric, cheap and with the most interesting old bars in Madrid head for the Plaza Santa Ana. On the square itself theres another Hemingway favorite Cervecia Allemana which gets pretty busy most nights. If you're looking for upmarket top of the range accomodation also on the square is Gran Hotel Reina Victoria which has a famous bullfighting bar inside complete with real bullfighters who sometimes stay there. Downscale there are several good hostals including Hostal Carreras at c/Principe 18, 3rd floor. Rooms are larger than usual and owners are nicer than usual.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful