There is something about Grand Hotel living during the festive season, especially when it is a house with so much tradition and the Savoir- Faire since more than 110 years when the famous Hotelier César Ritz created the Hotel Ritz in Madrid at the behest of King Alfonso XIII.
Now the Ritz belongs to the Mandarin Oriental group and after years of thorough renovation the Hotel reopened its door in April 2021.
Not only the restauration of the famous glass dome that shields the heart and meeting point of the hotel, but also the extreme friendly and elegant atmosphere Mandarin only knows so well to create.
In its typical modern, but very elegant manner the Mandarin changed and modernized many thinks and equally preserved the beauty and flair of the original hotel.
Like for example the lush garden with its restaurant El Jardin del Ritz, where you can enjoy an alfresco champagne bar, breakfast (in summer), lunch and dinner.
The Mandarin Oriental Ritz is also about keeping things natural. You can feel it when entering your room, decorated with natural, massive wooden floor, mousseline curtains and a bathroom that is not only well designed but also shows that the hotel works in a sustainable way. The program of less plastic in bottles and packaging shows. No longer are hotel keys made from plastic and water is served only in glass bottles.
The room feels cosy and you do feel the luxury of natural materials, not over decorated elements, fine fabrics and the grand window facing the Prado Museum leaves you for day dreaming moments on your bedside or canapé.
You don’t feel like leaving the hotel, as everything is taken care of in house. Choosing between the five restaurants and bars can be tricky, but the kitchens table at DEESSA where chef Quique Dacosta personally cooks for you and you can keep an eye on how he and his team work is always a great option.
Breakfast or Afternoon tea at the Palm court restaurant is a perfect treat, after visiting the hotels art collection, next to the hall and the lighting and atmosphere makes you want to spend hours there. What a great idea compared to the overcrowded, quite dark former lobby.
Times have changed and it is all about feeling naturally well. That can start with a morning swim in the basement spa and pool area, designed with light sandstone and a special day light installation that feels as if being a cocoon.
Another highlight is the location. Only five minutes away for a morning run at Retiro park and close enough to walk almost everywhere in Madrid, but still hidden in the residential and banking area around Plaza de la Lealtad, surrounded by the Museums of Madrid, not to forget the immensely Prado and Thyssen Museum with fantastic collections.
All the above awaits you for a weekend in Madrid or maybe just a 24-hour trip with one night in heaven, perfect in our times where travelling becomes more and more again a luxury. Also to escape ones daily routine and isnt there anything better to indulge in than another culture, eat the finest food with different flavours, look at fine art and walk along the streets?
Book your escape here
We would like to thank the Mandarin Oriental Ritz in Madrid for this wonderful collaboration.