Lee’s World
Madrid
Having visited the majority of Spain's other major cities, Madrid was still outstanding - that was until July 2007!
It's
an interesting city with a real mix of architectural styles - everything
from art deco to modernist to stunted skyscrapers. Culturally dominated by
some of Spain's greatest museums - the
Reina Sofia and the
Prado both have
free admission during the weekends (check their websites for details).
I stayed at the amazing
Westin Palace Hotel - booked using
Priceline - right across the street from the Prado. It was built in the
grand style in the 1920s when hotels had very extravagant public areas.
Rooms were beautifully furnished and being a Starwood Preferred Guest card
holder (well worth signing up for) I was allocated a room on the top floor.
Card holders get treated to free newspapers, coffee in the mornings and
fruit. It's not a cheap hotel and still maintains its charm and
elegance
after 90 years.
Exploring Madrid on foot
proved well worth while. Round so many corners were small squares with
cafes, or more grander squares like the Plaza Santa Ana. All of the museums
proved worth visiting - the extension to the Reina Sofia is stunning with a
very good restaurant in its courtyard (Arola) - as did the Royal Palace. Get
to the Royal Palace early though - at 10.30 I didn't have to queue to get
in, but when I left there was a major queue for tickets. And the Retiro park
on a Sunday was a great place to stroll or watch the world go by.
Highly recommended by the Wallpaper Guide to Madrid was Olsen, a Scandinavian restaurant in Calle de la Prado. It turned out to be only five minutes at most from the hotel, and recommended for very good reason. Not only did they mix a good Cosmopolitan, but the food was superb. Make certain you book though as it does fill up - Wallpaper has described it as one of the most stylish restaurants in Madrid.
All in all, a great trip - not exactly restful, but then I did fit in all the major sites in two and a half days!