Spain/Portugal/Gibraltar - Need Advise for Madrid Hotel

Been scouring tripadvisor a lot looking for a hotel in Madrid for my spring break (cashed in a load of air miles!) and need wifi (either cheap or free) and it to be located near puerta del sol or gran via for around or less than $125 a night in march next year. Any tips?

Cheers.

Been scouring tripadvisor a lot looking for a hotel in Madrid for my spring break (cashed in a load of air miles!) and need wifi (either cheap or free) and it to be located near puerta del sol or gran via for around or less than $125 a night in march next year. Any tips?

Cheers.
Check out www.parador.es
These are high end gov't run converted castles, monasteries, etc. Very cool, luxurious and start at 89 Euros... I don't know about wi-fi
Have fun!

Try Hotel Arosa - it is part of BestWestern, has 4 stars and has free wifi.
It is right on the Gran Via.

My favorite (for some years now) is Hotel Preciados. They'll be at the upper end of your budget, or perhaps just above it, but it is in a fantastic location and great value for money.

Apply for Starwood Amex, get bonus Starpoints (I think there is a 30K offer floating around). Use dollars and Starpoints deal (or just Starpoints) to stay at the Palace which is ideally located and a lot of fun. Free wifi at several cafes in the area.

Apply for Starwood Amex, get bonus Starpoints (I think there is a 30K offer floating around). Use dollars and Starpoints deal (or just Starpoints) to stay at the Palace which is ideally located and a lot of fun. Free wifi at several cafes in the area.

I've tried looking around and all I can find is the 10000 + 15000 bonus if you spend $15000, not something I'm likely to do in 6 months! Do you know where this 30000 offer would be?

Thanks

I've tried looking around and all I can find is the 10000 + 15000 bonus if you spend $15000, not something I'm likely to do in 6 months! Do you know where this 30000 offer would be?

Thanks

yep thats why I simply mumble something letting them think its a language they dont know and say English nyet. They then go find someone else

at the same time I keep my PP and wallet in my coat in a closed inner pocket and nothing in my pants pocket that would suggest theres anything there that they will be interested in, seeing nothing bulging no reason for them to play OK where did he hide it as there are too many fish in the sea for them to get out very easily and so hopefully they will move on to easier prey

and being that I will be in both MAD & BCN shortly Im working on securing my things already

Check out www.parador.es
These are high end gov't run converted castles, monasteries, etc. Very cool, luxurious and start at 89 Euros... I don't know about wi-fi
Have fun!

If I'm not mistaken, the state-sanctioned paradors, while wonderful options all over Spain, don't actually have any locations in Madrid itself.

Yes the Palace does have lots of deals, but maybe not quite good enough to fit into your budget. The Villa Real just behind it may be worth checking out -- same fab location, very sleek but without the unnecessary glitz. That general "barrio de las lettras/huertas" area behind those places has several offerings, closer to Santa Ana than Sol but nothing is very far; and don't omit hostals which can be very comfy and cheaper than mainline hotels. I would go for pleasant, central location and best rate, preferably a bit off the main drags for more quiet, and figure out the wifi later; and in your pre-tourist season you may find plenty of excellent deals to choose from.

PS if you have a sweet tooth look for Casa Mira up the street from the Congresso de los Deputados, their fresh fruits boiled and preserved in sugar are like nothing I ever had, not sure if that is just an autumn thing but definitely nirvana...

I've tried looking around and all I can find is the 10000 + 15000 bonus if you spend $15000, not something I'm likely to do in 6 months! Do you know where this 30000 offer would be?

Don't see it at the moment, but, these bonuses come and go.

Nothing wrong with the 25K offer. Take a look at the US Mint dollar coin direct ship program. You can buy $1K of coins every ten days which could help a lot on getting to $15K in six months.

I just returned from a week in Madrid. We rented a very nice 1-bedroom apartment with free wi-fi through Friendly Rentals for about $125 per night. We intentionally stayed a bit off the beaten path in Salamanca (near a Metro stop and a deli, though) but you could probably find something through them in one of those areas you mentioned. Their website describes the various neighborhoods and maps the apts. It also gives a pretty good idea of what the apts are like. One minor inconvenience is that you must go pick up the keys at their office in Chueca. We travel light and so took the metro from the airport to a station 2.5 blocks from their office; then, fading from sleep deprivation, we took a taxi to the apt (under 5 euros).

Having a kitchen let us splurge on some meals out and eat economically at home (and consume more veggies) other times. Whether you go for an apt or hotel, I'd suggest that you try to get one that's near a metro stop and a grocery store.

We're travelling to Madrid next week. We looked at short-term apartment rentals and found some great deals. Since we are only going to be in Madrid for three nights (modified mileage run to requalifyfor AA Executive Platinum for both of us), we opted to stay at a hotel for this trip. We found the Melia Castilla for 100 Euros a night; the hotel has a special promotion that provides a 20 Euro credit per night for food and drinks from the hotel restaurants and/or minibar; this promotion ends 12/31/10. The hotel has really great reviews from TripAdvisor so we hope that everything goes well. The last time that we were in Madrid, we found a great rate for the Intercontinental.

I just returned from a week in Spain (got out the day before the ATC job action shut down the airports). I spent my first two nights in Madrid at the 4* NH Abascal (http://www.nh-hotels.com/nh/en/hotels/spain/madrid/nh-abascal.html?nhagentid=10166&nhsubagentid=101660000000), which I got on priceline for $75/night. Very cool building; it once was the Lebanese embassy. A quick hop on the metro (2 blocks away) to Gran Via.
Free wifi is available in 30-minute increments via vouchers given out at the front desk.

My husband and I are going to Madrid too and would like to find a place to stay that is not too expensive, safe, convenient and perhaps some character. What areas should we look at/avoid? Any recommendations other than the ones mentioned above?

Thanks!

Me and my GF were able to jump on some AA fares from SEA for $350 in March. We're only going though for 3 days and two nights. We're looking for a centrally located hotel. I'm a Starwood Platinum member so I took a look at the Westin which seems decent and has a great location. We're of course going to go to the Prado, but am not sure what would be the best location for us to base ourselves out of to maximize it as much as possible. We're both in our 20s, can spend max up to about $175 euros a night, are more into the boutique/modern style of hotels, and are looking for a place that is convenient to attractions and has great places to eat nearby. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

To both of the previous posters: as per my last post, look at the area BEHIND the Westin, Huertas/Echegarray etc. -- easy to walk to the Prado and loads of eating places of every description around Pl. Santa Ana etc. Just a little further away it's maybe a 10-minute walk to Plaza Mayor and many more options over there, if only to sit outside and linger over a coffee, a beer and a snack and watch the world go by in a splendid setting. Early springtime could be very promising to snag great deals at the Westin, but nice as it is, I would not personally pay too much for it, its rates can be in the stratosphere, and there are so many other options nearby with the same great location.

Suggestion: Go to the New York Times webpage, the Travel Section, and search through the hotel listings for Madrid, which is pretty comprehensive in all price categories; most have reviews either professional or amateur, locator maps, and often links to the hotels' own sites. It's a good place to start searching. Let us know what you come up with!

I have stayed at Hotel Regina when I was in madrid - wifi is free there, it is neer to Puerta del Sol