Hotel The Westin Palace Madrid

Westin Palace is located in the barrio de las Letras, the literary heart of Madrid, on the Plaza de las Cortes just opposite the Ritz. It is a stone's throw away from the Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Queen Sofia Arts Centre) and Retiro Park. The nearest underground station is Banco de Espana (line 2) or Sevilla (line 2). Madrid-Barajas airport is located 8 mi away, allow a journey time of 25 minutes. Atocha station is 10 minutes away by foot.

The ladies will be delighted to be fussed over at the hairdressing salon. The sporty ones among you will be able to keep in shape at the gym which is open 24 hours a day, with the latest equipment, and is situated on the 7th and top floor which offers a superb view over Madrid. The hotel also houses a massage hut and a sauna. All the equipment is free. A water fountain and apples are at your disposal. A real spa was planned for 2009. The majestic lobby serves as a venue for temporary exhibitions (3 months duration), the current exhibition is dedicated to the works of Andy Warhol. You can therefore admire his original works, such as the famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Art enthusiasts will be able to admire copies of works from the greatest artists (including Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Vermeer, Lautrec, Velazquez, Goya, Gauguin, Canaletto or Klimt) in the art gallery of the lobby. The hotel also houses luxury boutiques. Those who wish to can polish their shoes, while comfortably seated in the armchair intended for the purpose. A vending machine can also be found in the lobby. A coach offers to take you for a 1.8 mi run once a week around the streets of Madrid. When they're staying in Madrid, the Rolling Stones never fault Westin Palace.

Accommodation tip:

The best views are those of Neptune fountain and the Ritz which are just opposite.

Everyone knows the hotel by the name of Palace, forgetting the 'Westin' bit which has been stuck in front of it since 2000. A member of the American chain Westin Hotels and Resorts (Starwood hotels), Westin Palace is a real palace, as impressive from the outside as the inside. The lobby is very grand: with marble flooring, an original candelabra, a crystal chandelier, a monumental staircase covered with a rug, tapestries on the walls, frescos, period furniture and statues; welcome to the kingdom of elegance and refinement. This sumptuous 7-storey white building, which is done up in the style of the Belle Epoque, was opened in 1912 by King Alphonse XIII, and is classed as an historic monument. It was designed by the same architect as the Ritz Madrid Hotel which faces it. A masterpiece of Art Deco, the dome of the lobby overlooking the piano bar is the real gem of the hotel. People come from all over Spain to drink coffee beneath this famous dome! The stained glass window of the dome lets sunlight filter through, and it is this which allowed operations and surgical interventions to take place during the civil war in Spain, when the place served as a hospital. There are lifts up to the 468 rooms of the palace. They can be accessed by sumptuous, but never-ending corridors: a real labyrinth!

The rooms of Westin Palace are, of course, sumptuous and spacious (258 sq ft) and nicely decorated with pretty paintings and elegant wooden furnishings. A pair of snug slippers is provided, but it is actually very pleasant to walk barefoot on the soothing soft carpet. All the necessary comforts and equipment are available to you: individual and discreet air-conditioning, a telephone, wireless Internet access (payable and quite expensive), a mini-bar and a safe with a free electronic code. There is a flat screen television with 28 channels. From the balcony of some of the rooms, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Neptune fountain and the Ritz.
The bathrooms are spacious, very clean and well decorated. They have bathtubs fitted with handles, a tropical shower and a fixed shower, all protected by a curved bow shower curtain. There are also tissues, a hair-dryer, a double sink, bathrobes, hospitality products and a toilet. An ironing board and an iron are also available.The establishment consists of a number of suites, each one more beautiful than the one that came before it.

The restaurant La Rotonde, which has a maximum capacity of 60 people, puts on a delicious well-presented buffet from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and an a la carte dinner menu from 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm. It is set out beneath the famous dome which dates from 1912. Breakfast, which is served from 7:00 am to 11:00 am (and until 11:30 am at the weekend) offers fresh fruit juice and delicious homemade pastries. Every Sunday, people flock from all over Madrid to taste the famous "Opera Brunch". In the evening, you can also try out the Asian restaurant which is reputed to be the best in Madrid. In a superb, traditional setting, the restaurant can take up to 80 guests. The waiters are dressed in traditional Chinese attire. This a la carte restaurant serves Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Breakfast is served from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm and dinner from 8:30 pm to midnight. The lobby piano bar beneath the dome serves numerous cocktails in an elegant and refined setting from 11:30 am to 2:00 am in a musical ambiance with a pianist. Take a glass in the cosy and sophisticated surroundings where Ernest Hemingway stayed. You can sit by the fireplace and browse the bookshelves.