LiquidLama Travel, Food, Wine & Drinks
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Where to find & book your accommodation?
A better alternative is to search for an affordable Air BnB accommodation (we just paid under €400 for 5 nights). I probably don’t need to list up all the advantages of Air BnB anymore, but just for those few without experience: you can read this blog article I wrote about Air BnB.
Off course there are cheaper alternatives too like (youth) hostels, couch surfing or even not sleeping at all. I’m however at an age where I can use that little additional luxury.
Where to stay in Madrid?
Madrid exists out of multiple neighborhoods which all have their own identity: Sol, Huertas, Chueca, Lavapies and many more. Long story short: where you should stay depends on what you plan to do during your stay in the city. For example: if you visit Madrid for the museums you should stay in the museum district close to the El Retiro park.
We stayed in Madrid for 5 nights and hence had the time to visit most important sites and even had the time to get into the Spanish rhythm for just a few moments. When being in a city for 5 nights I’m searching for accommodation matching these key-criteria (in order of importance):
- Close to a lively neighborhood to go out at night. When having explored the city during the day, I like to spend my nights closer to home in a neighborhood where you can find great food & wine and taste the local atmosphere.
- Easy accessible by public transport, preferably metro. A good alternative these days however are public bikes which can be rented on daily or weekly basis in many cities. Using a bike instead of the metro, potentially makes more neighborhoods suited as the home base for your trip.
- A little bit of green and quietness. Being on a city trip isn’t only about rushing from one site to another. Taking a little bit of time to relax and getting away from the rush from the city is important to me.
- Relatively close to all major sites and attractions. But not too close, stay far enough from the center so you avoid staying where the big hotels and main shopping streets are.
La Latina– the perfect spot
La Latina is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Madrid, it has been part of the inner city since the 9th century. Streets are small, squares are large: the regular street patterns of a Middle-age city; the buildings however date back to the 19th century. Under the shade of the Basilica Francisco El Grande and La Iglesia de San Andres you find countless great tapas bars, restaurants, cocktail bars and much more. The west side of La Latina is a more quiet residential neighborhood where you can enjoy the greenery at the riverbed of the Manzanares river.
The metro stops right in the center of La Latina. That same metro brings you to the city center in just two stops. But you might as well just take a 10-minute walk to get their too. Getting to the museum district is just a matter of a few additional Metro stops (and a line switch). Again, getting to the museum district is also well manageable by foot (20 minutes) and is actually something I would recommend to do. When you are walking east from La Latina towards the museums you pass the multi-cultural area of Lavapies.
Our personal experience
We stayed at LOFT CHIC EN EL CENTRO DE MADRID. The apartment houses in a beautiful residential block in the West of La Latina. An imposing staircase leads to a nicely renovated studio which is perfectly suited for a multi-night stay for two persons. There’s a small kitchen, including refrigerator, enabling you to do some cooking (which I do not recommend as you should really be exploring the local cuisine) and a small bathroom having all the necessities at place. The bed might be considered small by some, but it didn’t bother me at all. The wifi is simple to use and very fast!
The apartment’s host was a woman called Mar. Mar was a great host; before arrival she already shared a set of great restaurants to visit. She also helped us making the necessary restaurant reservations in Spanish. Mar was always available (via AirBnB chat & What’s app) for suggestions, tips & tricks. We were even allowed a late check-out because there were no other guests arriving later that day.
The apartment is an exceptional value deal. After a long day in the city, arriving to the apartment felt like coming home. The apartment is situated in a very quiet residential street. But in just a 5-minute walk you can reach the Royal Palace or the buzzing La Latina district where you find all the bars and restaurants you will ever need.
