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Hotels, Madrid

A Stay at Hospes Puerta de Alcalá Madrid

April 24, 2017 by cheriecity

Not many hotels in Madrid can boast such wonderful views as Hospes Puerta de Alcalá. This contemporary five star hotel is perched on an elegant curve on the Plaza de la Independencia overlooking the magnificent Puerta de Alcalá. The monument is older than the Arc de Triomphe and the Brandenburg Gate and marks the entrance to Retiro Park.

I first discovered Hospes Hotels staying at the excellent Hospes Amerigo in Alicante years ago, so I was excited to see if the brand’s Madrid hotel would be just as impressive.

On arrival, we were warmly greeted by the super-friendly staff and were offered a much-needed welcome drink of Prosecco, juice or chilled mineral water. The lobby had a bright and lofty feel and it led on to an atrium-style guest lounge – a quiet spot for relaxing.

Our Deluxe Alcalá Room had a modern, cosmopolitan feel and was very spacious and calm. Best of all, it featured two flower-filled balconies with fabulous views of the Puerta de Alcalá. We were also kindly welcomed with a beautiful fruit plate and two large bottles of water, which was a nice touch.

The style was a cool blend of minimalism with clean white walls and polished floors and touches of opulence with an attractive cornice ceiling, Louis XVI-style chair and an ornate silver-painted headboard. Interestingly, there was also an original black iron archway bridging the bedroom and the hallway – just one of the clues that the hotel was once a 19th century townhouse residence.

We loved the comfortable seating area with two plush corner sofas with a wall-mounted TV, fast free wifi and handy tea and coffee facilities. The king-size bed was also dreamy with crisp Egyptian cotton bed linen and plenty of high quality pillows.

The impressive open-plan bathroom around the corner was on a raised level, which seems to be a Hospes Hotels signature design feature that also appeared at Hospes Amerigo. There were two silver-painted double sinks opposite each other, a luxurious walk-in shower, fluffy towels, bathrobes and slippers and a full set of lovely herbal Olivia bathroom products created exclusively for Hospes Hotels.

The hotel’s central location was perfect for an afternoon of exploring and we just loved this chic, boho part of town. The renowned art institutions on the Paseo del Prado are within walking distance and there are so many boutiques, bars and artisan bakeries in nearby Recoletos and Chueca. Be sure to visit the San Anton Food Market and bijou pasteleria La Duquesita.

At the end of a busy day sight-seeing, guests can unwind in the Bodyna Spa, complete with jacuzzi pool, chill-out patio and treatment rooms for facials and massages using Cinq Mondes products. It’s a great spa, but the changing rooms are tiny, so you might want to change in your room and shuffle down in your bathrobe and slippers (that seemed perfectly acceptable during our stay).

That evening, we headed out for dinner at Bar Tomate, a hip urban-rustic Italian spot by Grupo Tragaluz. The food was great (particularly the wood-fired pizza), but the service was remarkably hurried and it was uncomfortably hot inside so it didn’t quite hit the mark.

The dining scene on the doorstep, however, is pretty lively with the hotel’s Independencia restaurant and terrace by chef Alex García, as well as the fashionable Philippe Starck-designed Ramses Life – a three-floor conceptual restaurant/club/bar bar – just next door. It can get a little noisy on the weekend if you’re in a front-facing balcony room, but it was just a low hum of music and not too bothersome.

In the morning, we enjoyed a buffet breakfast of fresh bread, pastries, cakes, cured meats, cheeses, yoghurt and cereal. There was a generous selection, however things really got exciting with the menu of chef’s dishes that were included with the breakfast. I was delighted to start the day with pancakes drizzled in chocolate sauce with a cast iron pot of proper tea – the egg dishes looked rather tempting too.

Hospes Puerta de Alcalá is a stunning hotel in a picturesque and happening location. The staff went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable and it really did feel like a relaxing retreat in the middle of the city. For style-conscious travellers, it’s the ideal five star hotel for a memorable city break in Madrid.

For more information and booking, visit: www.hospes.com

Chérie City was a guest of Hospes Puerta de Alcalá

Photos by Chérie City and Hospes Puerta de Alcalá

Hotels, Madrid

A Great Stay at Only YOU Hotel Atocha Madrid

April 18, 2017 by cheriecity

Only YOU Hotel Atocha is one of Madrid’s coolest new hotel openings and I was thrilled to stay there on my first trip to the city last month. Following the boutique hospitality group’s first opening in Chueca, this hotel is conveniently located near Atocha Station and is within walking distance of Retiro Park, Paseo del Prado and the Reina Sofia Museum.

Design

Designed by Catalan designer Lázaro Rosa Violan, Only YOU Hotel Atocha has a hip sports club theme with boxing and athletics-inspired posters, locker room-style furnishings, red striped walls and appropriately a 24-hour gym. It also takes inspiration from New York and has already hosted residencies from Manhattan’s Dead Rabbit, Betony and Blue Note since its launch in December.

The hotel really feels like an urban resort with everything you need for a great stay right there. The open-plan lobby, with its circular bookshelves and luxurious leather banquettes, was buzzing yet chilled throughout our stay and attracted a fun crowd of both hotel guests and locals.

Trotamundos

The hotel’s stylish Trotamundos restaurant serves inventive dishes inspired by Latin America, Asia and Spain, created by Chef Javi Mora in collaboration with the team behind Spoonik in Barcelona. Also in the lobby is a barber shop (modelled on Frank’s Chop Shop in New York), a bright yellow NYC taxi cab and jars of childhood sweets like red & blacks, marshmallows and red liquorice laces that you can graze on.

Mama Framboise

As if that wasn’t enough for those of us with a sweet, there’s also an outlet of the chic Madrid bakery Mama Frambroise, offering exquisite cakes, pastries and much-needed caffeine all day. We made sure we were back at the hotel for an afternoon treat of the most heavenly Chocolate raspberry tart and Carrot cake with pots of tea. A hotel with its own bakery is definitely the key to my heart!

The Room

Our loft-style Deluxe Room was an absolute dream with exposed brick walls, polished wood floors and a number of quirky design features to discover. It featured a stylish designer chair, writing desk, large fitted wardrobes, an illuminated dressing room vanity mirror, large wall-mounted smart TV, free wifi, minibar with healthy snacks and juices, plus tea and coffee facilities with very Instagrammable stainless steel mugs.

The king-size bed was extremely comfortable and was covered in high quality linen and a statement tartan wool blanket. In fact, if you don’t want to leave your fabulous bed, you can order room service from Trotamundos restaurant or indulge in a movie night package with posh nachos, chocolate and ice cream.

The Bathroom

The white and black tiled bathroom was spacious and pristine with a powerful walk-in rainfall shower, fluffy towels, cosy bathrobes (one in a funky zebra print pattern) and slippers, a proper hair dryer and even hair straighteners! I was also impressed with the full set of bathroom products by Calming Park, a gorgeous music and fragrance brand with organic scented candles made in Grasse.

Breakfast

We were really excited for breakfast in the morning and it didn’t disappoint. The enormous dining room on the seventh floor was flooded with sunlight and served up great views over the city with breakfast.

There was a good selection of hot dishes and a live cooking station where you could order freshly-made egg dishes and even steamed gyoza. We also enjoyed freshly-baked pastries, cakes, doughnuts and smoothies but best of all was the copious stack of delicious Jamon Iberico, which I couldn’t resist.

Only YOU Hotel Atocha is a fabulous design hotel and everything has been well-considered, from the eye-catching design to the great amenities and perfect branding. There were a few guest procedures that could have been slicker, but the hotel is still in its launch period and the staff were all courteous and welcoming.

All photos by Chérie City

Madrid, Restaurants

Dinner at Hermosos y Malditos Madrid

April 4, 2017 by cheriecity

Our first visit to Madrid started on a high with a Saturday night out at Hermosos y Malditos, one of the city’s most stylish restaurants at design hotel TÓTEM Madrid.

Located in well-heeled Salamanca, with Manolo Blahnik and Stella McCartney among its neighbours, Hermosos y Malditos attracts a cool crowd of locals and hotel guests and the vibe is buzzing yet relaxed, making it perfect for date night or catching up with friends.

Named after F.Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel The Beautiful and the Damned, the concept is clear. Feast on heavenly Mediterranean dishes in the restaurant and end the night decadently over potent drinks in the sultry cocktail bar.

The bright and airy restaurant is a real treat for interiors fans (thanks to Spanish design firm Better) with modern-retro wood tables, leafy plants and touches of pastels. We arrived when the restaurant opened at 8.30pm and had some time to get settled and peruse the menu, however if you want to live like a true Madrileño, head there after 9pm when it starts to get lively.

After ordering, we were presented with a basket of rustic freshly-baked bread accompanied by a punchy tomato, garlic and chilli butter and marinated olives. It was so tempting to enjoy slice after slice, but a little restraint was necessary when we saw the portion sizes of dishes coming out the kitchen.

We ordered shareable dishes and first up was a typical Spanish delicacy of Acorn-fed Iberico Ham Arturo Sanchez with toasts. The artisanal sliced cured ham had a deep, nutty and mature flavour and a silky texture with a good amount of marbling. It was a superior grade of Iberico ham and went perfectly with the crispy golden toasts and crushed fresh tomato.

A Big Burrata with sundried tomatoes was a lovely, fresh dish and it certainly was on the large side. The cool, creamy burrata had a soft, oozing centre and was accompanied by an uplifting sundried tomato and olive oil caponata – simple perfection.

I was in the mood for seafood, so for my main course I tried the Scallops and vegetable wok. This delicious Asian-style dish was healthy yet moreish and I was treated to no less than six scallops! I’ve eaten my fair share of scallop dishes around the world, but this dish definitely beat a record. They were really good too – plump and succulent, served with tasty stir-fried vegetable with a sweet sesame-soy sauce.

Steven’s Roast beef with mashed potatoes and spinach salad was another hit. This dish had a comforting home-cooked taste, like the kind you’d expect a Spanish grandmother to make. The paper-thin slices of rare roast beef were tender and doused in a tangy, meaty jus, while the mashed potato was velvety smooth, almost like a purée, and the lightly-dressed spinach salad added a touch of freshness.

By this point, we were feeling very full and in an uncharacteristic move, we actually SHARED a dessert! However, we made it a decadent one – Chocolate with white chocolate. The silky milk chocolate ganache topped with coarse sea salt was surrounded by cookie crumble and served with a jug of creamy white chocolate sauce. It really was an ideal end to a glorious meal.

We then headed through to the fabulous cocktail bar to finish the night with a creative drink. We both tried the most amazing Spiced Whisky Sour and chilled out to a cool soundtrack of remixes by DJ Joao Ribeiro.

The cocktail bar is also a great spot for light bar bites, tapas and sandwiches – quite a few hotel guests ate there throughout the evening.

Hermosos y Malditos is a fun and sophisticated place to spend a night out in Madrid. The food is magnificent, the staff are delightful and everything from the statement tableware to the music has been thoughtfully considered. It’s also open for breakfast, lunch and brunch on Sundays, so you can make it part of a Salamanca shopping trip or an elegant start to the day.

For more information and booking, visit: www.hermososymalditosmadrid.com

Chérie City was a guest of Hermosos y Malditos

Photos by Chérie City and Hermosos y Malditos