Some of the staff at the reception desk have just very basic, rudimentary knowledge of English, while others are much better. The lobby is a little tired and worn with the couches being incredibly dirty and old. No bell cap to bring our luggage to the room. A sign at the restaurant on the ground floor (opposite the entrance) says it's only open at night during the summer. Its chairs are also worn and dirty.
So far, wifi in our room has been good - a test on speedtest had download speed at 36.6 Mb/sec and upload speed at 31, while a test another day had download at 19 and upload at 36. Either the hotel has improved this service from what other travelers wrote about, or my room is near the modem.
So far, the a/c has kept us cool, though the thermostat can be touchy - set it at 18° C and the room got too cold, set it at 22° C and it got very warm in the summer heat. The wallpaper in our room looked good years ago, but is getting dirty with age. There are no bureau drawers, just open shelves which my wife liked. We had a huge mirror on the wall that helped us decide who was fairest of them all. It can get noisy when people are talking in the hall or slamming their doors shut, though our room's inner door helped with that. There are no irons in the rooms. They may have one to use if you ask. There is a little safe in the room and the wood hangars are sturdy. No door peep holes to see who's in the hallway that's knocking on your door. The mattress has seen better days. The room's floor isn't carpeted, which is nice because they're easier to clean (less places for germs to hide). The water pressure in our bathroom was great. The daily cleaning staff was great too. The bar soap at the sink is tiny; there were also 2 tiny clear gel containers that are a combination "gel/champu" "shower gel & shampoo" and made in China. Note: anyone giving this hotel a 5-star rating on yelp must normally stay at the worst places imaginable.
There is a breakfast buffet and we liked it. Some of the foods were different than what we're used too, but that's alright. There was a very good orange juice machine there too. The breakfast is on the first floor, one level up from the ground floor where reception is.
Access to the subway and buses are right out front, where you're even more likely to be pickpocketed (it's one of Spain's growth industries).
Taxis are usually close by. Tip: if going to Madrid center by taxi, walk across the street by Solaire, so the taxi doesn't have to drive in the opposite direction first - you'll save a little on the fare. read more
