Please note our writer visited Madrid prior to the coronavirus pandemic
With so many world-class museums, excellent shops and characterful neighbourhoods, it is hardly surprising that you cover a lot of ground during a day in Madrid – you clock up your 10,000 steps without even noticing it here, and even the best-laid plans tend to get forgotten after a couple of days as you slip into the swing of the city. Experienced visitors choose to stay in hotels with the best spas, where they can relax in hydrotherapy pools and indulge in restorative massages and beauty treatments to set them up for the city’s legendary nightlife. So don’t feel guilty about abandoning your cultural agenda, it just means you’re behaving like a true Madrileño, but do feel happy knowing that at the end of a busy day there’s a sumptous spa to soothe your tired soul. Here’s our pick of the best spa hotels in Madrid.
Palacio de los Duques
Madrid, Spain
Superb service, luxe materials, outstanding food and soothing design combine to make this a secret haven in the heart of the city. Although the building has been comprehensively revamped (it was formerly the palace of the Dukes of Ega and Villahermosa) original features remain. While not huge, the rooftop pool, surrounding by decking with sunbeds and a hot tub, is very appealing and has panoramic views across the city to the mountains. The Thai Room spa is an exotic, luxurious space for serious pampering with a range of top-level treatments, a sauna and a steam room.
From
£
218
per night
Rates provided by
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Gran Hotel Inglés
Madrid, Spain
Stylish Art Deco design, sumptuous rooms, a quietly excellent restaurant and a superb spa make Gran Hotel Inglés one of Madrid’s finest spots. The building dates back to the mid-19th century and it was the first proper hotel in Madrid when it opened in 1886; many leading artists, writers, actors and bullfighters stayed here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The soothingly elegant Égoïste spa by Manuel de la Garza offers a wide range of top-level beauty treatments for men and women, including the Jet Lag Cure which involves a facial with cryotherapy ice cubes as well as a massage.
From
£
263
per night
Rates provided by
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Westin Palace
Madrid, Spain
The Westin Palace is one of those hotels where you step through the door and enter a different world – it is all about traditional glamour here. There is a sauna, and a range of Carita treatments includes facials and draining exfoliation (€150/£132). Ayurvedic and other massages are available, as well as manicures and pedicures. Décor is soothingly classic throughout the rooms, in either pale yellow tones with dark wood furnishings in the Deluxe (standard) category, or with a more streamlined Belle Époque style in the remodelled Premium and Executive rooms and the suites.
From
£
207
per night
Rates provided by
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Hotel Wellington
Madrid, Spain
The five-star Wellington is one of Madrid’s most renowned hotels and will thrill fans of old-school glamour. There is an appealing outdoor pool with day beds and loungers. Facilities at Le Max Wellness Club include a hydrotherapy pool, sauna and steam room. A wide range of treatments is on offer, using Clarins products, such as a honey and hot stone massage. An unusual feature is the organic vegetable garden up on the roof terrace, where a range of produce including chard, tomatoes, broad beans and peas is grown. The 250 rooms and suites combine classic and contemporary décor with thick carpets and rust, mauve and taupe fabrics.
From
£
136
per night
Rates provided by
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BLESS Madrid
Madrid, Spain
It’s all about grown-up decadence at the five-star BLESS Madrid, from the roof terrace to the basement club. Leading interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violan has drawn on the traditional décor of the grand apartments found in this upmarket part of town, using maroon, petrol blue, bottle green and mustard throughout the property. The small but attractive spa area in the basement centres around a hydromassage pool and offers a range of treatments. The gym has LifeFitness machines and a virtual training room; personal trainers are available. Martín Berasategui, who has an astounding 10 Michelin stars at his various restaurants, oversees the food throughout the hotel.
From
£
240
per night
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URSO Hotel & Spa
Madrid, Spain
Strategically located for shopping and bar hopping, this hotel is a quietly fashionable haven with an in-the-know clientele. Its architect, Antonio Obrador, has conserved many original features, such as the tiles on the façade, the fabulous mahogany lift and the stained-glass windows on the staircase. The spa at the Urso, which uses Natura Bissé and Sisley products, is everything an urban spa should be, with no fussy nonsense. Wood walls and floors create a cosseting vibe. You need a lot of energy in Madrid so pep yourself up with the Royal Citrus Experience for face and body. There are 78 rooms and suites, all flooded with natural light from big windows and decorated in soft champagne and soothing teal shades.
From
£
165
per night
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Hotel Barceló Torre de Madrid
Madrid, Spain
The perky design at the five-star Barceló Torre de Madrid has made it an instant hit with fashionistas and creatives. Top Spanish designer Jaime Hayón created fresh, sensual interiors using a palette of jewel and berry shades with gold details and sweeping curves. The attractive steel indoor pool has great views and a sauna (free for guests in Premium category rooms and suites), and it offers a wide range of treatments using Ella Baché products for facials, massages and manicures. Within 10 to 15 minutes, you can walk to the Royal Palace, the Conde Duque cultural centre and the hipster Malasaña neighbourhood.
From
£
122
per night
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Hospes Puerta de Alcalá
Madrid, Spain
Calm yet glamorous interiors and a superb spa make Hospes Puerta de Alcalá the ideal haven for relaxing after exploring the city. Outside it’s a handsome 19th-century townhouse; inside it’s all soothing grey and mauve tones with Louis XV-style furniture. The pleasant Bodyna Spa, open daily, has a relaxation pool and steam room and offers treatments including manicures, facials and massages. The 41 rooms and suites are all different with distinctive original cornicing and mouldings – ask for a Deluxe Alcala room for a view across the square to the park. You can walk to the major museums and are right by the upmarket shops of the Salamanca district.
From
£
148
per night
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VP Plaza España Design
Madrid, Spain
VP Plaza España Design is in an ideal location for shopping, sightseeing and nightlife, but is boosted further by luxe rooms and a soothing spa. There’s a feeling of light and space throughout the massive contemporary building, where glints of gold lend glamour to a neutral palette and a vertical ‘garden’ softens the modern architecture with green. The Biloba Spa on the first floor has a 24-hour gym, a sauna and a pleasant hydrotherapy pool where you can gaze out at people dashing across the Plaza de España as you bubble your aches and pains away. The small pool on the roof terrace is open from late spring to early autumn.
From
£
158
per night
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Fénix Gran Meliá
Madrid, Spain
A neoclassical monument that has been a celebrity haunt since the Fifties and retained much of its ritzy allure. The hotel’s interior highlight is undoubtedly the lobby. Take a seat in one of the red velvet banquettes, and drink in the scene: a vast, circular room supported by ionic columns made from yellowed, fibrous marble, and a palace staircase at one end. The Thai Room Wellness is an exquisite find; think silk cocoon facials and turmeric scrubs. Expect magnificent beds, hand carved from tropical wood, with hunter-green velvet cloth draped over the headboards in the rooms.
From
£
145
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Contribution from Sherelle Jacobs
This article was originally published by Telegraph.co.uk. Read the original article here.