Barceló Torre de Madrid

I arrived in Madrid coming off two (yes, two) hours of sleep. So the journey was an uphill battle for myself, Mr Smith and anyone else who had the misfortune of dealing with me in that state. But, things soon improved as I was greeted at stylish stay Barceló Torre de Madrid by its comically large zebra-striped bear, who tipped its hat to me as a warm welcome. No, I wasn’t hallucinating from tiredness: the hotel is sprinkled with artist-designer Jaime Hayón’s quirky touches, every piece an easter egg waiting to be discovered on each floor. 

A – human – greeter led me to the hotel’s full reception on the second floor, which felt as different as night and day from the somewhat surreal one at ground level. This was a calm and soothing space, decorated in dreamy pastels and vibrant pops of color. I had arrived a little early in the day, which gave me little hope of climbing into bed in the near future, so when the receptionist informed me that my room had already been prepared, I almost hugged her. I was finally home.

After a much-needed nap, Mr Smith and I were refreshed and ready to go, only to discover that we had arrived on a dangerously windy day, which meant sightseeing would have to wait. We happily retreated back to the room to admire the views of the city from our window, and the rest of our day was an unexpected reminder that when you’re travelling, sometimes the best possible thing you can do for yourself is to relax and recharge.

Come dinnertime, the wind was still keeping us in hibernation. Thankfully, the hotel’s Somos Garra restaurant is a destination-dining spot, with a seafood-focused menu and more beautiful views overlooking the Plaza de España. The unexpected star of our meal was dessert: French toast with vanilla sabayon and basil sorbet. Do. Not. Miss. This. Afterwards, we once again retired to our room in a warm, fuzzy state – we hadn’t left the hotel all day, but we didn’t mind a single bit. Drowsily mapping out the next day’s adventures in Madrid, my transformation from disgruntled New Yorker to excitable tourist began to take place.

After enjoying the delicious array of items from the hotel’s breakfast buffet the next morning, we finally headed out for a day on the town. We were delighted that the Barceló was within walking distance of city highlights, such as the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Temple of Debod. The hotel used to be one of the tallest buildings in Spain, too, so we could use it as a north star to navigate by when we wandered off route – an unexpected yet extremely useful perk, as much as possible of the city on foot.

Our stay at the Barceló was absolutely wonderful for all of these reasons, but to be honest, I was sold from the very beginning: from gummy bears at the front desk to the magical towels in the bathroom (that used some sorcery to dry me off in less than two seconds) to the menu of pillows (the bellhop graciously delivered three options to our room). The subtle details differentiate good hotels from great ones, and I found that to be true with Barceló in so much of what they did. They didn’t try to overwhelm you with fancy extras, but equipped you with everything you’d need to make your stay memorable and comfortable. The city was there for us, if we wanted it to be; but we were also in our own little world here.