Our continued search for an upscale and accessible hotel in Madrid, ahead of our imminent trip over there for the European Investment Bank’s Social Innovation Competition, brings us to the Hotel Atlantico, a four star spot in the centre of town.
Situated on the famous Gran Via, the hotel is in a grand old building in a sensationally convenient location. Seconds away from the Plaza de Callao, minutes from Convent de las Descalzas Reales and not much further than that from the Plaza Mayor and Prado Museum, it’s superbly close to major landmarks in the city. With work taking priority over play, opportunities for sightseeing may be limited for us but the hotel is hugely well placed nonetheless.
The Hotel Atlantico is recommended by professional and novice reviewers alike. It’s currently ranked 5th out of all the hotels in Madrid on Tripadvisor and, although we tend to be wary of putting too much faith in that rating, praise including “the best kept secret in Madrid” and a “perfect oasis in a major European city” does suggest excellent things. Time Out’s review is less effusive but still positive, saying that the Atlantico is “considered to be one of the best value-for-money accommodation options in Madrid”. Value-for-money is a rather muted form of praise but the hotel looks comfortable, pleasant and traditionally stylish and the testimonies of guests seems to back that up.
In terms of the look and location of the hotel everything sounds good, but what about the access? Entering the hotel may be a bit of a problem as there is a small step from street level and in the lobby there are further steps to get to the reception and on to the lifts. However, this should not be too problematic as there is a stairlift provided and ramps available. The hotel does have an adapted room for disabled guests and (rarely) provides a photo of the bathroom, which has walk in shower and plenty of grab rails.
The Hotel Atlantico is a solid, stylish and generally fairly accessible place to stay in Madrid. It might not be the option we go for as we may look for something a little more modern and trendy, but that’s not to say it’s not without merit. We award a provisional 2.5 BBS Ticks.
