We are a couple about 60. My husband is retiring at the end of October and we are leaving for Spain on November 4th for a 2 week vacation- we're also celebrating our 33 rd anniversary. My husband speaks Spanish and we have been looking forward to visiting Spain for some time. In my readings about Madrid, I have become somewhat confused by the large number of choices avavilable, and would like some help chosing a place to stay.

We are looking for a hotel (or hostel) centrally located near the sites and that is comforatble and friendly. We do not need anything fancy, and , in fact, have liked the smaller, locally run hotels when we have traveled elsewhere in Europe. We do not need the extreme low budget hostels, and want private bathrooms and elevators if the rooms are up a number of flights . From my reading, I thought that it might be fun to be in the Plaza de Santa Ana area heading east towards the Prado, but I'm open to suggestions. What is pretty important is that I am a light sleeper, and need a room that is quiet. When I read about hotels, there is often a comment that there is a lot of street noise, but this is November and I wonder if we will need open windows this late in the fall.. Any suggestions?

We are staying in Madrid 3 days and heading south to Andalucia- Seville, Arcos, Ronda, Grenada, and Malaga before heading back to Madrid for another 2 days. We will go to Seville by train, and after traveling around by car, return to Madrid by train from Malaga for the last couple of days. Any suggestions for this part of the trip would be appreciated as well.

Thanks, Madrid Man, for the wonderful forum, Margret

Hostel and hostal are two different things. The hostals in Madrid (that I found thanks to the M-Man's site) are very good and reasonable. So are the ones in Seville.

Have you got any of the traditional and trustworthy guides for Spain? I think they would make your trip so much better. By the way, driving in Sevilla is hell.

Good luck.

JA

Thanks, JA. I think that I understand the difference between hotels and hostels. Based on what I have read, we could possible go with either. I have read extensively from books and web sites, but wanted more personalized suggestions. I havel searched through MMan's site about certain hotels( hostels), and just when I think I found one, someone said they had trouble sleeping. ( that's the trouble, I guess with such accounts- they are personal) I'm thinking about Carlos V, Hostel Macarena, BW Hotel Arosa ( a Karen Brown recommendation, but more expensive), or maybe even Danta Domingo or Hotel Opera ( also expensive). Any thoughts?

By the way, we are taking the train to Seville and back. Thanks again. Margret

justretired,

Just a suggestion. My wife and I travel to Madrid and we are in our mid-forties. We like to stay at an apartment when we go to Madrid. It has its own kitchen and laundry facilities, and the one we stay at is four floors up with a very good elevator. Four floors up attenuates, not eliminates, a lot of noise from the streets. The price is 90 Euros a night.
If you are interested, then read my previous post about Hospedaje Madrid .
The AVE train to Sevilla is the way to go. It is a very short and comfortable ride. I took it from Sevilla to Madrid last trip. Make sure you always have reservations for a seat when travelling in Europe. We found that out the hard way a couple of visits ago.
Have a nice trip.

The Hotel Plaza Mayor may be just the place for you. I've stayed there twice and always found it to be friendly, well-located, and reasonably quiet. If you do a search under "Hotel Plaza Mayor" you'll find my other exuberant postings

There is an elevator, and as the name suggests you are centrally located just steps from the Plaza Mayor, close to Puerta del Sol and Plaza Santa Ana.

Liz49,
Please give me a run down on the snack shop in the Plaza Mayor hotel.Do they serve a good breakfast?etc:
Thanks carlos11

justretired:
What is your budget nightly for the room cost?

Cathy,
I was thinking about 100+ euros per night, but could go higher if necessary or needed. Since this trip is a bit of a spluge celebrating retirement and anniversary, I wanted someplace nice, but don't want to feel gypped ( ? sp). We especially want someplace that feels like we're in Madrid, and hate the large American-type hotels/motels. In addition, I am a very light sleeper.

Thanks, Margret

I'm thinking of booking myself and my senior citizen parents in the Hostal Arias in Sevilla,

Hosta Arias Home Page

I know the reviews in the past have been good, but anybody have any recent experience with them?

Thanks.

Justretired, I am also retired. Have you checked the Bancotel deals? You have to be a bit corageous the first time but I have used them in Madrid, Seville and Portugal and they have always worked well. They are truly a great deal but you have to have a little confidence and not worry too much. In essence you pay for the coupons here and they mail them to the hotel. You have to use your c/c so you are covered if they were to fail. One time they were late in Seville but they eventually arrived and everything was ok. Good hostals can be quite competitive with the discounts offered by Bancotel. Also a quick call to the hotel will let you know that Bancotel made the reservation for you.

Good luck,

JA