Hotel Claridge ★★★★

You can’t miss the Hotel Claridge standing tall in the Plaza del Conde de Casal, in the Retiro district of Madrid, close to the Parque del Retiro. An elegant imposing entrance leads you into the well-organised calm of the reception and lobby area. A friendly and efficient welcome, and we were shown to our rooms. These did indeed turn out to be the haven of quiet and comfort we were looking for as an antidote to the hectic pleasures of sightseeing in this fabulous city. We found clean and fresh décor in beiges, browns and blues in our spacious room, with a huge comfortable bed, plenty of desk space and a lovely bathroom with lots of toiletries. The air conditioning, fridge and Wi-Fi worked well and the windows were soundproof, so there are great views out over the city but peace and quiet inside. Tired after our travels, we had supper in the hotel’s restaurant, which had a good choice of Spanish and international dishes, and we were ready for a peaceful night.

Refreshed the following morning, we had an invigorating session in the basement gym. It is large and remarkably well-equipped. Not too much time there – we wanted to conserve enough energy for the day’s sightseeing. The buffet breakfast was great. We were sorted, fortified and almost ready for the day, but a little while of catching up on messages and travel arrangements in the quiet of our room was necessary to keep our show on the road. Finally we were ready to explore! We checked our travel plans with the remarkably helpful young man on reception (who also reminded us to keep a carful eye on our wallets) and set out. Travel from the hotel was remarkably simple and Madrid’s metro system is great – I think it must be one of the best in the world.

There are so many must-see places, it’s hard to know where to begin. We decided to start in the heart of it all, the Plaza Mayor. Wide open spaces, grand architecture with cool colonnaded cloisters around the sides, a buzzing atmosphere intensified by street performers, stalls and a fantastic choice of tapas bars and cafes all combine to get us in the mood for the excitement of Madrid. The Prado Museum of course … to soak up the lush richness of Goya, Velázquez, El Greco and so many more … time for a late lunch break! Spoilt for choice, we ended up with some great tapas and even greater hot chocolate in a little bar near the Plaza del Callao. We lingered over the hot chocolate and churros, planning our next few days. Determined not to exhaust ourselves on our first day, we strolled back towards the Hotel Claridge through the Buen Retiro Park. We managed to fit in a tour of Madrid’s very own Crystal Palace, the Palacio de Cristal on our way through the park.

And so back to our haven of peace where we can close the door on the noise and bustle. A good night’s sleep, in the city that never sleeps, made sure that by the next day we were fresh and fit to face the sheer exuberance and fun that is Madrid.