Gran Hotel Inglés, Madrid, Spain

The hotel is in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras, the literary quarter of Madrid where Hemingway and Cervantes lived. On the roads around the hotel are some of the city's oldest and most respected bars and restaurants, while the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza is just five minutes away. where you can see works by Dalí, El Greco, Monet, Picasso and Rembrandt. Opposite the hotel is La Venecia, the oldest sherry bar in Madrid, which keeps traditional rules: no photographs, no tips and no credit cards.

By plane: there are direct flights to Madrid-Barajas Airport from London (2 hours 20 minutes), Manchester (2 hours 40 minutes) and Edinburgh (2 hours 45 minutes). The hotel is a 20-minute drive from the airport. Book flights to Madrid.

This is the oldest luxury hotel in Madrid, which first opened in 1886. By the 1920s it was one of the favoured haunts of writers in the city and Virginia Woolf stayed here. A recent refurb has restored the hotel to its 1920s heyday with an Art Deco feel in the design.

You get attentive and personal service here, with an excellent Clefs d'Or concierge to help you make reservations at the surrounding bars, restaurants and theatres. Turndown includes a L'Occitane lip balm and hand cream. Facilities include a small Sisley spa with a range of body treatments and facials, along with a small fitness centre.

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Spa
• Library
• Terrace
• Pet-friendly
• Nearby parking
• Free Wi-Fi

Understated luxury rooms with 500-thread count sheets, minibars, coffee machines, robes and L'Occitane toiletries are decorated in a colour palette of mushroom and burgundy. In all but the entry-level rooms, you also get an Art Deco free-standing tub, either in the room or in the bathroom.

Room types: Deluxe, Grand Deluxe, Superior, Executive, Premium rooms, Junior, Meller, Echegaray, Presidential, Royal suites

Key amenities: ensuite with shower, tea and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi

Casa Lobo serves classic Spanish cuisine elevated to the next level by Fernando Arellano, who has a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Mallorca. Expect tapas favourites such as patatas bravas and croquettes and traditional Mallorcan dishes such as rice and hare. The all-day dining in Lobbyto includes salads and sandwiches.

Casa Lobo: fine dining, contemporary traditional Spanish cuisine. Dishes from €10.

Lobbyto: casual, live music, small plates and snacks. Plates from €5.