The bathroom has two sinks with marble countertops, a nice size bathtub, a toilet and bidet, a wall size mirror and a couple of hooks to hang your clothes. You have to figure out how to use shower handle since there are several knobs that regulate temperature of water, and where it will be coming from – the faucet in the tub, the shower head above you or the flexible hose with the shower head. In some rooms the drapes on the windows are rather dirty and it seems haven’t been washed in years - the maids don’t clean the rooms that well, also the doors squeak. If you need an extra towel or anything else, call x9, they speak English and will have whatever you are asking for brought to your room. The maids are usually friendly but don’t speak English, so if you see a maid in the corridor and want her to bring you something you should either know that word in Spanish or point to what you want in her cart.

The façade of the building is very impressive, and the location is great – museums Thyssen-Bornemisza and Prado are literally next door, and Reina Sofia is about 5 minutes away. Also Atocha rail station is within a walking distance. So if you need to have a central location, this is hard to beat, but if you are looking for great service – look somewhere else.

The hotel is really called Palace Hotel (you can see it in large letters on top). It was built in 1912 (it only took 18 months) for king Alfonso XIII and at the time was the largest hotel in Europe. It went through the renovation recently (2001) and is now part of Starwood family of hotels which includes Westins. It is a 5-star property, and the reception and concierges (concerjeria in Spanish) are very good, very knowledgeable and speak several languages. The concierges have maps of the city and know the opening hours of various museums and shops. They can also make reservations for a car, bus city tours, get tickets to the theater, and whatever else you can think of. Once you’ve made your reservation which is easy to make online, you can e-mail the hotel from the US and ask them to reserve the tickets for you to museums that require reservations or theater performances, or find out whether a particular museum is open or closed for restoration.

What impresses you when you first enter the hotel is the main lobby. It is very beautiful with frescoed ceilings, gorgeous chandeliers, and amazing carpets. The restaurant has Art Nouveau glass cupola with floral ornament a la Tiffany’s and there are a lot of Salons where people celebrate their anniversaries, engagements, and other events. In the evening there is live music - either piano or harp – in the restaurant. There are several overpriced jewelry and boutique shops near the restaurant. Public phones are located to the left of the main staircase. You can also access internet from here, however it will cost you 8.20 euros for 20 minutes, so you might want to go to an internet café across the street. Once you check-in at the reception desk, walk up the main staircase and there are two elevators with mirrored walls and a large staircase that lead to the rooms.

But here is where the glamour ends. The rooms are rather small and barely can accommodate two people. A typical room has gray wallpaper and two full-size beds with paintings above them, an armchair, a chair, a writing desk, a night stand with several lamps and a large wardrobe with the safe. In some rooms the wardrobe has mirrored doors, in some doors are solid wood. Some rooms have balconies, some have just windows that can be opened, but the street is too noisy even at night. We actually managed to squeeze the third bed (a rollaway, not really a full bed) into the room, but you can barely move then. There is also a TV and a minibar.

Continued in Part II

This hotel is now under Westin hotel chain. I am sure it was restored by them very recently. It''s as beautiful as ever. I spent tea time twice there. But I didn''t feel anything snobbish in the manner of manager or waiters, which I encountered in one of the world famous classic hotels before. Their service is very friendly, to be more exact, American way of service. In this respect, it is quite different from Hotel Ritz, which is another famous classic hotel in Madrid. They retain the traditional formality of a classic hotel. However, as for as its interior concerns, Palace is much beautiful.