Lonely Planet Review
Crowned by the emblematic Tio Pepe sign, this 140-year-old hotel is a Madrid classic, exuding kitsch elegance with touches like shimmering gold bedspreads and a decidedly 1960s look. As a total package, it's one of the best mid-range deals in central Madrid. Rooms are large and a reasonable buffet breakfast is included in the room price.
It's impossible to be more central; some rooms look right onto the Puerta del Sol. In fact, from one such balcony on his first night in Spain, at least one Lonely Planet author was so utterly captivated by Madrid's passing energy below that he decided to move to Madrid to live. Noise can be a problem, but there are interior rooms (which look onto an unusually pleasant, plant-filled courtyard) and ones that face onto the quieter (it's all relative in Madrid) Carrera de San Jerónimo or Calle de Alcalá. Rooms are large, a reasonable buffet breakfast is included in the room price, and the owners exude an old-style grace that you don't find in many places these days. Some rooms have fans, while a few have air-con.
Review by author
Anthony Ham