Best Western Hotel Carlos V - Madrid, Spain 

This hotel was great! My husband and I stayed here for just one night mid-June, but it was wonderful. It was updated, nice sized room, and a large bathroom. We had a room on the top floor and it had a large balcony with table and chairs. We were just sorry we could not stay here longer! We took the high speed AVE train from Barcelona (which was top notch) and got to the hotel around 11a.m. Our room was ready so we dropped our luggage and headed out for the sights (we had to cram as much in as possible because we had to get up and leave for the airport by 3:30a.m. The hotel was great in booking a taxi for us for the airport, we have no complaints about the hotel, it was great (even though we weren't there 24 hours.)

We absolutely loved our stay here. After sharing a few jokes with the front desk about how likely it is that only Americans stay here b/c it is a Best Western, we were assured that wasn't the case. It really is a very pleasant hotel. The centrality of its location is unsurpassed-- just between Calloa and Plaza del Sol, adjacent to the shopping street Preciados and a short block to Gran Via, it just doesn't get any better. Don't miss out on the local restaurants-- the night staff did us well with fantastic recommendations. I thoroughly recommend staying here. Don't be concerned about street noise-- go ahead and take an exterior hotel b/c the balconies allow for pleasant fresh air and a nice view into the street activity. It's not a loud area. Use the metro to get back to the airport-- at only 2 euro per person, it significantly beats out the airport shuttle and/or a taxi for the price. Enjoy Madrid!