Hotel María Elena Palace - Madrid

Excellent location in Madrid. Close to everything. Asked for a quiet room and got it! Air conditioning was cold and it was very hot in Madrid. Room a good size with very clean bathroom. Breakfast was free and very good. Would not have paid the 12 Euros if it had not been free. The hotel exceeded my expectations in every way. Front desk staff were great and spoke fairly good English. Would stay there again and will tell everybody how good it was.

The hotel was our best value in Madrid! It was very comfortable, well maintained and perfectly located. The staff were gracious,and the breakfast buffet was a great way to start the day. The beds were a bit firm for us, but we adjusted quickly!

A very comfortable , quiet hotel(except on Saturday) , in the heart of the city ( a 2 minutes' walk to Plaza del Sol, and the main tube stations - Sol, Sevilla or Gran Via) , close to the museums, retaurants and Plaza Mayor. Spacious rooms.

The hotel has good position right at the center. Breakfast was also good. The major problem is noise. Our first room was so noisy, that it was not possible to sleep at all, not even with ear plugs. After first night we changed our room, second room was ok. When we were changing the room, stuff was not surprised and searched for the new room immediately, it seemed this is very common problem.

VERY small room, but Hotel very nice

The hotel was in general great, but the quality of our room poor in comparison to the surroundings. And a few things did not work, ie: air con, scales in bathroom, light switch etc.

The room faced the street and noise from the street was unabated at night. Apparently there is a disco nearby. The hotel should take steps to protect the occupants from that horrid noise that goes on until breakfast time on the weekends. The hotel offered to move us but to a smaller room at the same price. We are used to the noise of the city but have never experienced anything like this before. Like many European hotels the beds are too hard and the pillows are uncomfortably large.

Location is not good

If I need to go to Madrid again, I will try to book it again. Very good choice!

The reception was excellent. Mr. Francisco and the other staff are welcoming persons. Very gracious and eager to help in any ways.

We stayed at the Maria Elena Palace for two nights,on our way back from holidaying in Cordoba, before catching the luxury night train back to Paris. The hotel was clean and comfortable with an elegant and spacious open-plan lobby, lounge, breakfast room and bar combined. The room was well furnished with a huge double bed and a spotlessly clean bathroom. The hotel staff were friendly, efficient and helpful. The only possible downside was that the whole Puerta del Sol area (as few minutes away on foot) is being dug up at present and Sol metro station is closed. However, Sevilla metro station is nearby and the hotel is within easy walking distance of the main art galleries, Plaza Mayor, and shops such as El Corte Ingles. There are a number of bars and restaurants nearby - we particularly liked "El Taurino" and "La Catedral" bars. For those who like to eat in familiar restaurants the local branch of Pizza Express (Pizza Marzana) is at the other end of the Gran Via, near Plaza de Espana.

Location to main city sites

Very helpful staff. Allowed early check-in, and were willing to store luggage in any event.

Really a lovely place at a bargain rate.

Good location if down a side street....nevertheless perfect for being in the "heart" of the city. Hotel was nice and clean. No problems with it. However it did get a little noisy outside at night. Ask for a room not facing the road. Thought the breakfast was a bit steep in price for what you got. Better going out and finding a little place nearby. There were plenty. Interent charges were a rip off !

Hidden away down an alley but the Hotel itself was lovely, very central and the rooms were good. We walked everywhere in the day and in the evening. The hotel were very helpful.

Hotel Maria Elena very near Puerta de Sol,Plaza Mayor,restaurants,pubs. Walking distance to Prado and other museums

This hotel was lovely, but a little off the beaten path. We found one of the reception staff to be particularly helpful, a woman who worked the 3 to 11 shift (I don't recall her name, but she had pulled back curly hair). We had difficulty getting there by car as our directions were incorrect but it was close to the metro and walking distance from many things.

Although the welcome was a little less friendly than expected, when we later required assistance from the front desk, the receptionist went above and beyond the call of duty to help us print off an online airline check-in boarding pass.

1. The TV didn' work 2. There was no iron available in the whole hotel unless I paid for the maid to iron my clothes 3. The air-condition didn" work 4. There was no WI-FI connection as promised 5. we were told to use the computer of the hotel, for which we had to pay lots of money- but this was broken for most of our stay. My comments cover also the problems of my parents who stayed in the room next to me. Although we complained several times and the people at the reception said that they will send people to fix the problem, they never send anyone to take care of any of the problems.

A quiet oasis in the centre of Madrid - 2 minutes walk from Puerto del Sol.

I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone staying in the center of Madrid. I think we must have been really lucky, because the rate we had for the type of room we got was exceptional. We paid under 100 euros a night for a two room suite in the most quiet section of the hotel. We could not believe how nice our room was. The location is perfect, right off the Puerto del Sol, close to the metro and 5 minutes from the Plaza Mayor. The staff were very helpful, they even let us print our boarding passes on their office computer because the public printer was out of toner. They made reservations for us for a flamenco show and the shuttle to the airport. The only issue we had was an odd one: One afternoon when we returned to our room, we noticed we had no bath towels, but we had two bath robes. It was nice to have the robes, but it was the second to last day we were there. Then the next day, we had towels but they had taken to robes away. It was confusing! But aside from that our stay was perfect. This is the best kept secret in Madrid!

Brilliant value for money, very smart hotel in central location. Huge bathroom. Wish we could have stayed longer. Only slight problems, ordered a double room and got a twin, and air con was very cold but the rooms are so nice it didn't really matter.

This hotel was amazingly clean and really close to the center were we could walk within 3 minutes.

The Maria Elena was a very comfortable hotel; it's rooms were very clean, the beds very comfortable and the towels and bed liner were spotlessly clean.

The Maria Elena Palace was a real find. The room was just perfect and the service was incredible, breakfast was excellent, and we couldn't ask for a better location. We would definitely go back. Recommend that you dine at an outside cafe at the Plaza Nueva, visit the Reina Sophia for the Picassos and treat yourself to some great ice cream.

We loved this hotel and would recommend it to anyone.A most charming young lady on reception set the tone for the place.It's a beautiful hotel in a lovely quiet street.Three minutes stroll from the Puerta Del Sol and the centre of Madrid's old city with a myriad of bars and restaurants. About fifteen minutes to El Prado and other fantastic museums and galleries. We did not dine in the hotel at all as breakfast is not included and the lure of the great city outside was too much of a temptation so cannot comment on the food.

Parking is the major problem in the hotel specially if you driving. There is not a area in front of the hotel that you can drop off passenger without having vehicles behind you using their horn. The price for parking in a city parking for 24hrs was 25 Euros, a little bit steep. In addition, before getting to depart from the hotel while I was getting the car from the parking area; my wife decided to ask for driving directions to a person at the front desk. The person seems that was not in the mood to answer any questions before asking my wife if she was a guest at the hotel and if she was he would like to see the hotel receipt. It didn't make any sense to me so I asked the male person why he was rude with my wife when the only thing she was asking was directions. Anyway, not too make to long, the person seems to understand that he screwed up but he wouldn't tell me his name. This will be my first and last time staying at the hotel.

The accommodations were great! The rooms are larger than I expected. The staff spoke english, but were not very helpful.

A nice hotel just off a main avenue heading away from Sol. The room was TINY, but many places in Europe are. Actually, the bathroom was one of the largest on our whole trip. Didn't like having to pass several sex shops to find the hotel, but all in all, the hotel is in a safe and convenient location. We'd probably stay here again -- but not before checking out a few other places to find a little better value, if possible.

A good choice for a hotel in Madrid. Very modern, nice bathrooms, centrally located.

Best position possible in Madrid right between Gran Via and Puerta del Sol. Walking distance to the famous art museums and night spots around Plaza Mayor, Latina and Chueca. The fancy shopping aera of Salamanca is just a short taxi ride away. The street there the hotel is located is dark and narrow and the adjacent Calle de la Montera is very sleazy and full of prostitutes in the evening. The hotel is very nice and modern, nice bath and big enough rooms. I had a dobble room on my own so I don`t know about the singles. No pay TV if you need that. I have experienced better breakfast in a Mediterranean country but it was quite ok. There is supposed to be a good restaurant in the hotel which I never tried. The staff was helpful but not overwhelming. May be not totaly informed about the hotest restaurants and night spots around. I can fully recommend this hotel and I will stay there again.

The location of the hotel very near the Puerta Del Sol was excellent. The hotel was recently modernized and was very clean and beautifuly decorated. The air conditioning did not provide enough cooling and if the ambient temperature was hotter it would have been uncomforatable inside the room.

Impersonal staff but professional, excellent location for visiting museums etc. but very poor surroundings nearby. To find the hotel was very difficult for the Taxi-driver, obviously is the hotel rather unknown. If we come again to Madrid, we choose this hotel again.

The air conditioning does not work properly. Rooms at the highest floor were too hot,whereas at the ground floor it was too cold.

A terrific hotel, lovely staff who tried very hard to speak English and allowed us to practise our Spanish too. The only problem is the noise from the street- bring earplugs and use them!

Some rooms on 5 floore is really bad for a very low ceiling, others is very noise. I do to change room two times before to have a normal one,

This hotel was fabulous. It looked beautiful and the location was perfect. There is one big problem though. It is right near a discoteque. One night we did not sleep at all. Young people were LOUDLY coming down the street all night long. If you go, DEMAND to have your room on the back of the hotel away from the street. I complained and even the people working there acknowledged that they have a major problem with the noise. It is too bad because the hotel itself could not have been nicer.

This was the first time we had stayed at the Maria Elena, and we were both reasonably content. Our only real gripe would be the noise from the night club in the basement. It was a weekend, and both saturday, and sunday, about 4.00 am the noise from the club, empting onto the street was unbearable,and continued for around an hour! Apart from that we loved Madrid X

This is a beautiful hotel located on a small back street. We had a room overlooking the street, a little noisy, cars, emptying bins, but overall very good. The room was huge which we asked for and had everything we needed including a big bathroom, robes, mini fridge, sat tv, 7ft bed, safe in the wardrobe. The street the hotel is on is a little drab but very central, 5 mins from metro and P. Del.Sol. I would have no problem recommending it or going back, it is beautiful.

Very welcoming hotel particularly the staff at reception who were very helpful.Would suggest however that the restuarant in the evening could be improved by having a menu in english and that it should be better displayed. Food in the restuarant was good though slightly overpriced.

I stayed only one night, however the room was very nice and the location in exellent. Whithin 2 minutes work from the main shopping area.

Good location, very close to shops, restaurants, cafes etc.

My boyfriend and I (both 30 years old and from Malta)spent 20 days in Spain and Madrid was the last stop after a lot of different Spanish towns and cities...we were tiered and slightly fed up of going to touristic places such as museums and flamenco shows, so this hotel was just perfect to relax in the middle of the city...close to everything we needed: restaurants, shops for the final souveniers, train stations both underground and renfe services...airport was not far away either...the hotel was very clean and fresh and the reception were English speaking (we speak 5 languages Spanish unfortunatley was not one of them)which was so nice to have. (Many hotels dont speak anything but Spanish) the only thing that we disliked was that we had to pay for internet even just to check our emails, this in other same star hotels was given for free. All in all if I were to go back to Madrid I would stay in this hotel again!!

Wonderful twin room. next to the porta del sol, very central area.

Very good location and recently renovated. Rooms are small but well decorated, clean and the bed and bathroom are great. The lobby is fantastic just as shown in the picture and the people are more than friendly. I highly reccomend it.

Un albergo molto bello e centrale (a 2 passi da Porta Del Sol).Molto comodo da raggiungere grazie alla vicinanza a ben 2 stazioni della metro. Il rapporto qualita'/prezzo e' veramente formidabile. Consigliabilissimo!!!

Excellent hotel in the city center. Very nice and very comfortable rooms. It misses a private park, you have to find a public one if you have a car.

An excellent Hotel,the quality of services offered was perfect ,the competence of employees was more than good,I surely ,recommend this Hotel .

The Maria Elena Palace is an elegant and charming find down a (very) nondiscript street near the Porto del Sol. The staff was wonderful, most of them spoke english and even the staff members who did not were very accomidating. As I had read in a previous review, the red light district is nearby (if you turn right, instead of left when going into the Porto del Sol) but the street is well traveled and my sister and I did not feel unsafe when we accidentally took that street to get back to the hotel. The hotel is within easy walking distance of everything. The lobby is beautiful. Overall, it was the staff and their friendly service who made this one of the best hotels on our trip.