The Rosewood Villa Magna is everything you would expect from a fine hotel, centrally located between the best shopping and museums, attracting locals as well as international travellers from all over the world to make hospitality a culinary, artistic and elegantly entertaining experience from the moment you enter.
Located on one of Madrid’s central avenues, Paseo de la Castellana, the modernist, elegantly restored cube of La Villa Magna by Rosewood has many elements of 1970s modernity and the look and feel of an oasis in the middle of the city.
The golden-brown façade has a classic appeal that is continued inside by Australian architects BAR Studio, and reflects the fact that the lush green garden with centuries-old trees was once a palace before it was demolished to make way for a hotel and later La Villa Magna.
When you enter the hotel, you feel like you are entering a private home, with the splendour of eight fireplaces around the lounges and restaurants, art works curated by the Opera Gallery and large windows looking out onto a patio or garden that has an Asian flair and changes colour with the seasons like a painting.
The largest work of art is located in the stairwell, a stained glass window from the 1970s that stretches the entire height of the large old stairwell and bathes it in coloured light like a church.
The main attractions are tied to the main ground floor with the various restaurants and bars, where you will also find many local chefs and artisanal contributors to set their signature, such as beautiful flower arrangements by Floreale & Bucaro and Molecot for the gourmet experience for some events.
The bakery and patisserie Flor Y Nata also invites locals to buy cakes and bread to take home.
The open kitchen at Las Brasas de Castellana is also reminiscent of a private home, a red ribbon that runs through all the restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Amos restaurant by Jesus Sanchez, where you’ll find the typical Tapaz variation in its finest form, created for his restaurant, along with many other specialities from northern Spain.
As for the rooms, considering that the building dates back to the seventies, you will find features that are not so appealing, such as low ceilings and carpets throughout the room, but are well integrated without neglecting the eye candy of the interior design.
All in all, a hotel that makes you feel at home with your best, most connected friend in town, and one of the rare achievements of any hotel to keep the locals coming back for more.
Take a look at our autumn travel guide to Madrid with addresses in the neighbourhood.