Originally Posted by
spainlover
The Palacio del Retiro in Madrid has better views being on the Parque del Retiro, and I got an upgrade to an amazing suite for my one-night stay there, but I still like the Santo Mauro better.
The Blackstone is awesome and so is the Spanish restaurant there. I also was lucky enough to be upgraded to a great suite there, and they had really great Chicago-specific decor and books.
My wife and SIL stayed at the Palacio del Retiro for 5 days while I was attending a conference out near the Airport and absolutely loved this hotel. It was this or Santo Mauro but for getting around town the Retrio was better suited for their needs. Both hotels were under my name and was upgraded to the 1 bedroom suite. The staff could not have been more accommodating and proactive in helping the ladies out for tours, recs for places to eat. We're going back in June and I'm leaning towards the Santo Mauro this time just to see how it compares given it's in a more residential neighborhood.