Rooms

So vast is this palace that it has space for 50 bedrooms, ranging from a decent size (the rooms) to a frankly indecent size (the larger suites). Designer Isabella Claramont has combined the ornate splendour of the original 1908 structure (high ceilings, flowery stuccowork, grand arched windows, red-marble fireplaces) with unashamedly modern furniture (chunky brown armchairs, chrome and glass cabinets, vast plasma TVs, desks with black-leather swivel chairs). It’s a bold juxtaposition, a little incongruous or ostentatious for some perhaps, but kept easy on the eye by the muted colour scheme of brown, grey and white.

Huge beds occupy pride of place in the middle of the room, some angled towards grand arched windows overlooking the interior courtyard (quieter) or the broad avenue of Alfonso XII (leafier). Bathrooms are decorated in sleek grey and chrome; showers are powerful rainfall types and most rooms have baths, too.

Some fourth floor rooms are livened up by bright Lichtenstein comic-prints on glass bathroom doors; one is an attic room with portholes over Calle Montalbán. Third floor rooms have dark walnut-effect laminate floors and huge grey plexi-glass wardrobes, giving them a particularly hard, modern feel. Those on the second floor retain the original parquet with its pretty, meandering inset.

We loved the Presidential Suite, which has panelled walls with bookshelves, fabric wallpaper and translucent gold drapes screening a tall windowed balcony, plus a huge Jacuzzi in its interior. Another one of our favourites is the panoramic corner Luxury Suite, with its intricate Rococo plaster moulding set off by a long-armed chrome lamp and simple stick-man art by Eleazar. In its bathroom, 2 of you could sit in the whirlpool tub and look through maple leaves to Retiro Park, before cooling off in the separate shower cabinet.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast (excluded from the room price) is a buffet, with cooked dishes like huevos revueltos con chistorra (scrambled eggs with a very tasty local sausage), toasted pan de hogaza (rustic sandwiches) and the classic churros con chocolate (fried dough twirls with hot chocolate), to supplement the usual yoghurts, fruit salads, cold meats and pastry selection. There are no fewer than 5 fresh juices (try the carrot and lemon, very tangy and healthy-tasting), plus 4 infusions (including cherry), 7 types of tea, and Madrid’s full range of coffees.

On the ground floor is the contemporary and intimate The Suite Bar, with brown walls, geometric curtains and red lamps, where simple but delicious tapas-style dishes are served for lunch and dinner alongside a creative cocktail menu. We enjoyed a relaxed lunch of Iberian ham croquettes followed by hake on a bed of grilled vegetables. While we found the food tasty, we did feel that it was a little overpriced, plus most guests dine out, which means the atmosphere here is pretty quiet.

Alternatively, you could slip out to the renowned Horcher restaurant or the simpler Spanish Viridiana for dinner (both just a block away).

Features include:

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Spend a lazy afternoon in Retiro Park; it is on your doorstep after all!
  
• You're a short walk away from all 3 major museums - Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia - offering an inexhaustible supply of art from all ages and styles; Picasso's 'Guernica', whose brutal imagery is the most eloquent anti-war statement, is among the most famous works of the 20th century
  
• Shopping around the Gran Vía offers everything from designer boutiques to the all-encompassing department store and food halls of El Corte Ingles. Be sure to visit the stores on Calle Serrano, it’s like the Spanish version of Bond Street!
  
• The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is a working convent which houses an award-winning museum: frescoes, paintings, tapestries, sculptures, woodcarvings and liturgical silverware are on display
  
• The Plaza Mayor is Madrid's most famous square, enclosed by 17th- and 18th-century residences, and now brimming with outdoor cafés, statues and a Sunday stamp and coin market
  
• The Royal Palace (Palacio Real) has over 2,000 frescoed rooms and chandeliered halls, many of them open to visitors, as well as a chapel, armoury, landscaped gardens and the throne where royal visitors are received. The Botanical Gardens are worth visiting, too
  
• The Medieval Quarter is a warren of winding lanes, tapas bars and cerveceńas, with the huge-domed basilica of San Francisco and the museum of San Isidro to punctuate your wanderings
  
• To its south (a short metro ride away) is the Sunday flea market of El Rastro, a mecca for antique hunters and collectors of bric-a-brac (watch out for pickpockets)
  
• Unwind after a hard day shopping and sightseeing in the spa with a massage, facial or body wrap

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Museums / galleries
• Shopping / markets
• Well being

Kids

We felt that due to its design and location, the hotel is perhaps best suited to adults. That said, cots and full-size extra beds are available free of charge for under 12s, with a supplement for older children.

Family friendly accommodation:

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

AC Palacio del Retiro is located on Calle Alfonso XII, opposite the Retiro Park in Madrid, central Spain.

By Air:
Madrid Barajas (15km) is the nearest airport. There are lots of flights here from the UK, Europe and further afield; click on the links below for a list of airlines.

From the Airport
Grab a cab or pre-book a Mercedes limo with an English-speaking driver from the hotel - see Rates.

By Metro:
Travelling by metro is simple and quick. Get on line 8 from the airport and travel to Colombia, get on line 9 and head to Príncipe de Vergara and transfer to line 2 for 1 stop, getting off at Retiro; the journey shouldn't take more than 40 minutes.

By Car:
We don't recommend hiring a car as Madrid is hectic and parking expensive, but if you do, see our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Madrid and getting around