Exe Zarzuela Park

It would have cost us more than double to stay in an equivalent standard hotel in the centre of Madrid and as it turned out the location was more of a bonus than an inconvenience. The room was comfortable with all the facilities one would expect, including a filled mini bar (there is no hotel bar) and TV (only BBC news in English) and it was cleaned daily and clean bedding and towels were available on request. The staff were friendly and helpful and the WiFi was fast enough in our room for us to be able to stream UK TV channels. Although there were no bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity the bus with a stop right outside the door can be taken (€1.50) to Valdemarin a small local area which has several bars and restaurants. We particularly liked Volapie with its friendly staff and good food. The tapas and burgers were very good and the Asian food at Kokochin was very tasty. Taking the bus in the opposite direction for the same price you arrive at Moncloa, a major transport hub, giving you access to the Metro system and local and National buses. The same bus has a stop next to the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid and the Hippodromo racecourse is a 10 euro taxi ride from the hotel both of which we were visiting. Do NOT attempt to walk to the Hippodromo following Google or Apple Maps. It brings you to a locked gate and a Ministry of Defence restricted area. It is impossible to pass through at any point. The only way to walk is to follow the driving route and this means you must walk along the grass verge of a busy highway. We enjoyed our stay and the peace that the hotel offered on such a busy holiday weekend in Spain.

RESTAURANT SERVICE AND RECEPTION: I have been here several time in the years but always for 1 or 2 night. This time being here for 2 weeks i’m having few dinners in the hotel. Quality of food is good but what captured my attention has been the customer attention that the service has. Although there is only 1 waiter (at least at the time i had dinner), I appreciated the professionality, the speed in reacting, and the style to serve the customers. From the name tag I captured the name “LIZ”, I guess Elizabeth. It’s when being professional in the job we do, without doing anything special we captured the attention of those who look also to the details; very much appreciated. I guess is one of the focus of the hotel because also at the reception i always got high level of services (including when few months back I forgot the iPad in the lobby and they called at the office they found it). Cleanness of the room is as well very good. Stairs and doors should be renewed at least in the main building where the reception is.