Holiday Inn Madrid

Advantages: Nice staff, clean, kettle in the room
Disadvantages: The local area, rather expensive

...This is yet another hotel stayed in when travelling with work. It's a four star hotel (Ciao has it listed as a three star) and is located in the business district in Madrid. The Estadio Santiago Bernabeau, the home of Real Madrid football club is also very close by if you are interested in football. Public transport is very good-metro station and bus stop near by, the bus is one Euro into central Madrid and unlike London they have plenty of bus lanes and regular services-every 5 minutes. And no over-crowding or rubbish strewn everywhere! The hotel itself is a typical sprawling 1980's concrete block. The surrounding area is a bit dodgy at night and opposite the hotel is a boarded up cinema. In fact the whole area is pretty much a concrete jungle and I would be careful with going out after dark as it's pretty deserted once...

Katieshaz 16.10.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Holiday Inn Madrid, Madrid

Exploring the Province of Madrid

Advantages: Splendid architecture and surrounding nature
Disadvantages: destinations are scattered and hard to reach by public transport

...de Guadarrama which makes up the northern half of the province is a nice recreation area with excellent hiking paths, albeit a bit remote. Exploring it to the fullest requires a whole day, which may not be worth it in the light of competing attractions in and around Madrid. The medieval towns all around the province and central Spain are picturesque sights filled with beautiful castles and cathedrals. SHOPPING - @@@@ The smaller towns around Madrid are good for buying handicraft such as textiles, leather and wood works. Souvenirs such as postcards and t-shirts are also much cheaper than in Madrid itself. Don't expect to find any department stores or shopping malls in this rural region. ACTIVITIES/NIGHTLIFE - @@@@ The Sierra is an excellent spot for outdoor activities, mainly hiking, biking, skiing and fishing. Nightlife...

From_The_Continent 26.04.2001 (28.04.2001) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Madrid (Spain)

City Centre Madrid Hotel On a Shoestring

Advantages: Very close to city centre and transport, Cheap.
Disadvantages: Can be noisy

...Me and my girlfriend decided to visit Madrid last summer. So being the students that we are we booked cheap flights on easyjet. That was the easy bit. The hard part came later when we had to decide on a hotel to stay in. We wanted somewhere close to the city centre as we were only there for a few days but we had to do it on a budget but wanted to go slightly better than a hostel, it was after all our first holiday abroad together. ::: Why The Asturias?? ::: We eventually settled on the Hotel Asturias because it fitted what we wanted. It is extremely close to the city centre which is what we wanted as we were only there for 3 nights. It is only minutes away from the Calle Gran Via, one of the main shopping streets in Madrid. It is also minutes away from two metro stations (in opposite directions, either Sol or Sevilla which will...

pigeon1986 15.07.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Asturias Hotel, Madrid

Madrid.

Advantages: no expensive,alive city,delightfull city,people
Disadvantages: maybe annarchical,traffic.

..."near the Real Madrid stadium for example "the torres kio";they are inclined (like "torre de Pissa"in Italia)but the inclination is disposed jeje and modern.Unfourtenly one of this sky-scraper were totally in flames recently.,"la torre Windsor"(no vicitims uff). There,s a street with abundance of cinemas:"la Gran Via" and also"calle fuencarral". We can,t forget one the most famous and classic shop in spain always:"El corte inglés"(translate:the english cut?) but don´t mind the name :it,s a spanish shop and it,s situated in "La puerta del sol"(the center of the city very popular here)though there is more in other zones(in"Goya",in"Nuevos ministerios..")One default:it,s a little expensive. In madrid we have the opportunities of enjoy great concerts of stranger artists:U2,REM,Keane(tomorrow),coldplay,Muse,Cranberries,Radiohead,Red hot chili...

kalimero 10.03.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Madrid (Spain)

Madrid

Advantages: Couldn't see any
Disadvantages: dirty, busy, grey, dull, congested

...I have just returned from a short break in Madrid. I had been told in advance that Madrid was a brilliant city and that I would love it. I suppose everyone is different, but I could not find one thing I liked about it. I found it to be grey, dirty, run down, extremely busy, traffic constant almost everywhere...I really did not take to the place at all. The only good thing about it was the people, as always I found the Spanish people lovely and obliging, and more than willing to help out with language difficulties. I was only there a short time, two days and did not have time to vist any places of interest, such as Museums or art gelleries, but I would normally be happy enough just wandering around new surroundings , taking in the atmosphere and ambience...however I found I felt terminally depressed in Madrid. All the streets looked...

strawberrylady62 27.11.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Madrid in general

Excellent base for exploring Madrid city centre

Advantages: Esxcellent location, spacious clean rooms
Disadvantages: Small reception area and lift.

.... The rooms are recently decorated and the beds were extremely comfortable. The room had a bright, modern décor and tiled floor but didn't feel clinical or sterile. The cleaning and housekeeping was to a very high standard and the bathroom in particular was spotless. There are a few restaurants, bars and convenience stores in the immediate vicinity and many more within easy walking distance. In the reception area there were plenty of maps and leaflets and staff were very helpful in giving directions where necessary. The main nightlife areas are a little further away (a couple of stops on the metro) but as the nightlife in Madrid goes on the early hours in the morning you are away from the noise and bustle. The hotel is located a few hundred metres from the Plaza de España (the western terminus of the Gran Vía, the main shopping street in...

anfi66 29.12.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Suites 33, Madrid

Marks and Spencer Madrid... Not for long

Advantages: Nice presentation, pretty store
Disadvantages: Expensive, bad clothes, needs more food

...Only opened recently in Spain, the Marks and Spencer stores were expected to be great and fantastic, and it was a bit of a disappointment to the people when the stores opened. They found high quality, boring, very english goods for sale at some absolutely ridiculous prices. Most of the clothes stocked are good enough to make you be sick. The shop, however, just like the one in Bilbao, is very well laid out. However, they are all full of 'giris' - or tourists. But they are very nice, looking quite royal - a bit like a top London store, with marble floors, a lot of glass and wooden fittings. The Bilbao store is three stories high. It cost some 125,000,000 pesetas to build the shop. As always happens with M&S stores, however, the place is full of naff clothes, which are hated by the natives. The food in M&S Spain is very good...

danieletheridge 23.04.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Marks & Spencer (Madrid)

madrid - ciudad bella

Advantages: Many things to see, Great underground subway, Nightlife
Disadvantages: Many "risky" places,

...Madrid... I have lived in Madrid for 17 years almost and I never regret having done so. Madrid is an excellent city that offers a variety of tourism for any culture. It has a great selection of good restaurants and bars that come from national selections to international/oriental gourmet but its all superb. The nightlife in Madrid is wonderful, having loads of bars and discotheques (many of them are huge). The best thing for me is the "football life" as madrid has home to one of the most prestigious clubs in the world "Real Madrid". Madrid is a city with many things to see and do and it offers a diverse range of activities and attractions, from museums to amusement parks. If you were to visit Madrid I would recommend 5 things "must see". -Plaza Mayor (many small typical spanish restaurants + shopping) -Santiago Bernabeu...

eminem1234 12.02.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Madrid in general

Athletico Madrid Shirt.

Advantages: climacool, cheap
Disadvantages: none.

...Well, Athletico Madrid are one of the main football teams in Spain and are a good team. If you are a supporter of Athletico Madrid then I would recommend buying this as it is a cheap shirt to buy. However even if you are not an Athletico Madrid football fan and you just enjoy collecting football shirts then this is also another one to get your hands on. The material is climacool which makes things much easier if you are planning to play football in this football shirt. This is a shirt that helps you keep cool as you play and is not irritating like other football shirts such as the collars etc. Overall I would recomment this football shirt to anyone who likes football or supports Athletico Madrid. Its cheap and is a great buy....

dannyuk1991 09.09.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Nike Atletico Madrid Away Football Shirt

Hola de Madrid

Advantages: Lots to do, everything's cheaper
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

...off from the main square where there are some fantastic clothes shops quaint Spanish cafeterias and many other delights. There is some history relating to the Puerto Del Sol. If you can find the square plaque. It shows where all the roads in Spain meet. If you want to look in English clothes shops then never fear, because there is a Top Shop in Puerto Del Sol. If you want to go to a Shopping Centre then I would say your best bet would be La Vaguardia. It’s at the Metro Stop Barrio Del Pilar. Inside there are lots and lots of clothes shops with bargains galore and a huge Supermarket at the bottom of the centre. Travelling in Madrid is easy. The Metro is frequent and very clean, especially when compared to the underground. You can get tickets that allow you up to 10 journeys on the Metro. However it is important to remember that...

girlstar 01.07.2002 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Madrid in general