CH Velarde

People complain about everything, but this little hotel is PERFECT. The bed was comfortable, the room was small but just right, and everything was super clean. You get a code for the room, instant hot water in the shower, air conditioning, Netflix on the TV, wooden floors, and a hair dryer. The stairwell and bright hallways were spotless too. Great water pressure, and the location is SUPERB. There’s some ordinary noise from people coming and going. Just enjoy Madrid.

The location is really good, near bars, nightlife, and pretty much everything. The room was clean and the bed comfortable, but it felt closed in, with just one window onto an inner courtyard and not much airflow. We also had a day with no hot water, and they didn’t help us get a proper shower. Finding the place was hard, and nobody answered our calls or messages when we needed directions, so we were left outside for a while. The address is Velarde Street 22. Check in early, since it can take them a while to send the access code. There are three flights of stairs too, which we hadn’t been told when booking.

Madrid was freezing in winter, and the bed only had a thin sheet. The air conditioning didn’t work, so I was terribly cold. The shower hose leaks at the shower head, making it almost impossible to wash, and then the power went out in the apartment, leaving us in the dark.

Location is the one good thing here. We booked through Booking.com because of the rating, and still can’t understand how this place got such a high one. The bed was much smaller than we expected, and a tall person simply won’t fit, so we left early. The photos look great, but the actual place is very different. Google’s much lower rating seems closer to the real quality. I wouldn’t recommend it. There are plenty of better, well-priced places in central Madrid.