Have not been to Madrid for over 20 years and am visiting with my daughter and meeting up with a friend from England. We are originally from England, and I lived in Salamanca many years ago. We now live in Texas, where I teach Spanish and my daughter is learning Spanish. We need somewhere central that will not be to expensive, but will accomodate all 3 of us. Not sure whether we want breakfast or to go out, but the ability to make a cup of tea in the morning would be preferable. It's been so long since I was in Madrid that I can't remember where I used to say, but think it was in the Gran Via/Sol kind of area.

Thanks for any help you can offer

Hello, ExiledInTexas! And welcome to our ALL SPAIN Message Board!!!

What's your budget for "not too expensive"? Give us a "Cheaper than...X" and we'll be better able to give you recommendations.

In most cases, it's cheaper to go out to breakfast than to pay the extra (sometimes) 12 Euros for the hotel breakfast - unless you're a BIG breakfast eater, that is.

So give us your budget and we'll go from there.

Saludos, MadridMan

I'm really looking for a Hostal rather than a Hotel. Not sure about the exchange rate, but would think around $150 a night. I have never really worked with Euros - and I think I will miss the pesetas.

Also, we'd like to go out to the Escorrial and maybe Toledo. Would it be better to hire a car or use local transport? Being able to speak Spanish, I have an advantage in that I can negotiate public transport.

I'd love to revisit Salamanca, but think that this might be a journey too far unless we hired a car. What's car hire like?

Thanks

I'll give it another plug, but you can't go wrong with the hostales of the "Adriano Group" . The Hostal Adria/Adriano and it's fancier sister Hostal Adria Santa Ana both have several triples, are well managed, centrally located and have ensuite refrigerators for that all important milk in your morning tea! Check out reviews on this website and see what others (including me) have said. Excellent value for your money. I have stayed many, many nights in various rooms in both and have not been disappointed.

Matt

Take the AVE Train from the Atocha Railway Station About 1/2 hour, smooth ride. Upon arrival in Toledo, hop the city bus up the mountain to the heart of town, or get a taxi..Much better than driving, and no parking problems! The recommendations of Matt (Above) are excellent...Another good choice of similar quality is Hostal Dunlcinea, on Calle Cervantes.

Thanks - I've now made a reservation at the Hostal Adria Santa Ana. They were very helpful via e-mail

Thanks also for the details on how to get to Toledo - I can finally get to Toledo and not worry about driving!

Any suggestions on getting out to the Escorrial? and is it worth it? We really might just spend our time in the Retiro or the Plaza Mayor having coffee ...

Escorial , in my opinion IS worth it ! Especially to see the tombs of the kings and queens of Spain , and even the coffins waiting , nameless , for the next king and queen ! .The town itself is very nice , with some great restaurants . I had a great fish soup there once , on a cold day .
I,ve been 3 times .. by train from Atocha (?) I'll check on that . From the rail station it's a bit of a hike to the monastery .. but there are buses to take you up there . I seem to remember the walk was about 15-20 minutes .
Also bear in mind that El Escorial is close to Valle de los Caidos ... Franco's mausoleum ... It's fantastically impressive and moving ( considering that men died building it ) . Many of my Spanish friends refuse to go theren . If you do decide to visit you must have ID such as a passport to enter . I have to say i was blown away by the setting .
Steve

just wondering... why do they make you have ID to visit?

ExiledInTexas, we hope you'll give us your personal review here, in this thread, of Hostal Adria Santa Ana. We have one already posted here but that's about it.

ExiledInTexas, I'm sure you'll find more information about El Escorial in the "Favorite Places" category of our message board.

But that's right! I remember that we needed our I.D.s to enter Valle de los Caídos because it's considered a government installation, I think, or maybe to avoid political attacks. They may have raised their prices since I was there on 3 January 2008. The price was 5 Euros for the Non-European entry into the "park", then 2.50 Euros for the funicular up to the tomb. The LAST funicular going up was at 4:30pm on that date - so keep that in mind.

Saludos, MadridMan