Review: Gran Hotel Inglés, Madrid - A literary legend that’s something to write home about
If the walls in Gran Hotel Inglés could talk they would tell tales of the times Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway visited in the 1920s on their trips to Madrid as this is where they checked in along with the fashionable visitors of the day. Today an air of history still pervades Gran Hotel Inglés, the city’s oldest hotel with its art deco bronze, marble and glass, along with an enticing scent that wafts along corridors and around rooms, but there’s nothing old fashioned about this elegant five star hotel that oozes contemporary class, tucked away down a shady side street moments from the beating heart of Madrid’s Literary Quarter, or Barrio de las Letras.
Black and white photographs show the spacious grand ground floor reception lounge and dining room back in the last century and the hotel has preserved its original elegance with columns and chandeliers, along with an area lined with leather bound books, nowadays updated and complemented by contemporary lighting and artworks.
Budget or Boutique
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad
Boutique five star, with only 48 rooms and a spa that give it an exclusive feel along with very attentive and friendly staff who make guests feel as valued as the literary luminaries as they escape the bustle of the capital.
Room Service
Like Virginia we had a room of our own where comfort and calm enveloped us as we stepped over the threshold. An off white and rust palette give the room a tranquil feel and french windows invite the weary traveller onto a Juliette balcony to observe the comings and goings on the narrow pedestrianised street below and gaze up at what Woolf called the the hopelessly blue skies" of Madrid.
Clever use has been made of the space to accommodate a king sized bed and two easy chairs and table in front of one window and a free standing bath in front of the elegant drapes of another, while an internal cube to one side of the room reveals a dressing area and jack and jill sinks leading onto an ensuite shower room. Fluffy bathrobes, slippers, a kettle and coffee maker, iron, well stocked mini bar and L’Occitaine toiletries reasuure you that comfort is a top priority.
Food and Drink
In the LoBbyto restaurant and lounge where sophistication meets glamour and dinner and cocktails are in demand we sit down to tapas style starters to share include mini squid brioche, acorn-fed Iberian ham with bread and tomato toasts and homemead Iberian ham croquettes, each an artwork on a plate packing a punch of flavour. Mains were perfectly cooked sirloin steak with foie and red onions and a fresh and smoky salmon salad followed by a traditional Spanish pudding of homemade torrija or caramelised brioche with vanilla ice cream which is a hug on a plate.
Breakfast in the hotel’s charming Casa Lobo bar served up a vast array of pastries, deli meats and cheeses, fruit and cereals with hot options cooked to order.
Worth Getting out of Bed For
You’re in the heart of Madrid and it’s a ten minute walk along busy streets lined with shops and cafe bars to the grand portico-lined Plaza Mayor square and baroque Royal Palace and Armory in one direction and the Museo Nacional de Prado with its collection of Velazquez, Goya and El Greco masterpieces in the other, not forgetting the contemporary art including Pablo Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ at Reina Sofia. If it’s hot head for the shade of the 125 hectare Buen Retiro park or escape indoors at the quaint and historic Cine Doré Filmoteca Espanol. At night entertainment nearby includes Teatro Español, or live flamenco by the table venues and a host of cafes and beer halls. If your aim is to relax and rejuvenate, curl up with a book from the towering shelves in the dining room/reception lounge where leather bound volumes line the walls or wander down to the high tech gym, Sisley spa pools and jacuzzi to ease away the stresses of 21st century travel.
Guestbook Comments
Gran Hotel Ingles is an elegant historic hideaway that oozes contemporary class right in the vibrant heart of Madrid.
Prices Rooms start from around £375
Gran Hotel Inglés, Echegaray 8, 28014 Madrid, (+34) 91 360 00 01, www.granhotelingles.com)