Sol / Centro Canalejas

Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

★★★★★

When the Four Seasons opened in September 2020, its first hotel in Spain, it transformed a forgotten corner of central Madrid. The hotel occupies seven historic buildings at the junction of Calle de Alcalá and Calle de Sevilla, former bank headquarters and offices from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which were painstakingly restored by the Madrid architects Estudio Lamela and linked into a single complex called Centro Canalejas, which also includes private residences and a luxury shopping galleria. The heritage details are spectacular: marble staircases, carved stone façades, stained glass, coffered ceilings and the old bank vaults have all been preserved, while the interiors are warm, contemporary and very comfortable. There are 200 rooms and suites, many with high ceilings and some with terraces looking over the rooftops toward the Gran Vía. Dining is a strength. Dani, the brasserie on the top floor, designed by Martin Brudnizki, serves Spanish dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a terrace that has one of the best rooftop views in the city; El Patio, on the lobby level, is an elegant lounge for Spanish dishes and afternoon tea; and Isa offers Asian-Mediterranean dining and cocktails. The spa is one of the largest in central Madrid, with eight treatment rooms including a couples suite, an indoor pool with a pool bar, a relaxation lounge, a hair salon and a 24-hour gym. The location could hardly be more central: the Puerta del Sol is a two-minute walk, the Plaza Mayor and the Gran Vía five, and the Thyssen and the Prado a ten-minute stroll down Calle de Alcalá or through the Barrio de las Letras.

Who it suits: travellers who want contemporary luxury with all the services of a big international hotel, right in the middle of everything. It is the most central five-star in Madrid, ideal for first-timers who want to walk to the old town, the museums and the Gran Vía, and for shoppers drawn by the galleria and the flagship stores nearby. Business travellers appreciate the efficient service and the event spaces. Families are well looked after, with spacious rooms and suites and the spa pool.

Living in it: higher-floor rooms are quieter and have better views; ask for a room with a terrace or facing the Calle de Alcalá's grand façades. Reserve a table on the rooftop terrace at Dani for sunset — it is one of the best places in Madrid to watch the light fade over the domes of the Gran Vía and Calle de Alcalá, and non-guests compete for tables. The spa is genuinely restorative after a day of walking on cobbles, and the indoor pool is a rarity in central Madrid. The galleria downstairs has a gourmet food hall with counters from well-known chefs, convenient for a casual meal.

Value: rates are at the top of the market, similar to the Ritz and the Rosewood Villa Magna, with suites well above. The choice between the Four Seasons and the Ritz is mainly one of style: the Ritz is classical, historic and museum-side; the Four Seasons is contemporary, buzzing and closer to the old town and nightlife. Choose the Four Seasons if you want to be in the centre of the action with a rooftop, a big spa and a pool to come home to.