AC ATOCHA IN MADRID

Having my usual hotel in Madrid closed for renovation, I had to look for a new one. The option was wide but I was looking for something in particular. The fact that it is close to the railway station (200 mts away). Atocha, is near the centre, well connected with the main commercial area by underground. And so is the AC Atocha Hotel. Within 5 minutes from the train platform, it is really convenient.

The hotel is surrounded by restaurants that will probably be of your liking, if you don’t want to eat in.
Reception is, as it normally is in this type of hotels, fast, friendly and efficient. You are handed the key and told how to get to your room. If you get it in the other module, it is a bit of a nuisance, having to get the lift to go one flight down, get across the corridor, go out to the back patio and get in the module, and then it is like a normal hotel. It is a bit of a walk... not that much of a problem unless you are a winger...

The hotel is nice... but not my taste. I don't quite like the "cold" feeling you get among those black walls, from the corridors and rooms. The hotel is very impersonal. Empty rooms, no background music... you... and yourself, which in some cases can be good... but, it may not be in others.

When you enter your room, everything is modern. Bed is comfortable. The wardrobe is unusual... Neither doors nor covers. It is a metal structure where the hangers are hanging.

The bathroom is no different. What strikes is the clear glass shower. You can see who is taking a shower from the bed... Normally, you are going to travel with someone you know... but... not that good for just friends... unless, of course, you want to take the chance to move further... Toilet is separate and... Closed to the rest of the room. Soaps and other toiletries are available too.

Breakfast is on the main module. It is a buffet with fruit, biscuits, cold meat and cheese, yogurt, bakery...

What really irritates me from this hotel is the fact that Wi-Fi is free of charge in the lobby but available for a fee in the room. I think it is mean.

AC ATOCHA
Calle Delicias, 42
28045 MADRID
Spain
T. 91 506 22 21
F. 91 506 22 22
acatocha@ac-hotels.com

EL ESPINAR HOTEL

If there is a place lost in the middle of nowhere, that is El Espinar Hotel, in Segovia province. It is less than 1 hour's drive to Madrid, and even less to Segovia and Ávila, two very touristic towns North of Madrid.

It is definitely, a place to go to by car, unless you want a nice walk from the railway station or the bus station.

The hotel is situated by the road N-VI, from Madrid to La Coruña. It is actually located inside an Industrial Estate with a few buildings, a bit separated from everywhere.The rooms are fairly good, for a 3 star hotel. As the hotel was built in 2008, it still shows it is new. The good thing is that you don't have problems to find a parking space. Plenty of it outside the hotel.

It has two floors, and the receptionist wanted us to walk, so she gave us the top floor, furthest room she could find, at the end of the corridor. One, would have thought that it was the last room left... Far away from reality. We were actually the only ones in the hotel. Good thing... Wireless connection was available throughout the hotel and was free of charge.

The room was really cold. (It was about freezing outside) and he heater started when we put it on. One of those cases that when you leave the room, you need to take the key out, and the heater stops...

The bathroom we got had a shower, no bath. For me, that was a very positive point... but I know that there are people who love having a bath. Other rooms do have a bath... The hotel supplies soap and shampoo, and little more.

Bed is comfortable, and that extra blanket is always welcome if you don't leave the air heater on. I personally, don't like to sleep with a fan on... Noise is always a problem and the moving air makes your throat funny the next day... So, for me, the blanket was the best option. Although, I must say that getting out of bed without the heating, was... a bit of a challenge. I wan, of course...

Breakfast... was not included in our rate, but we were informed that it was just 5 Euro per person. So we tried it... just one day. It was very poor. They didn't even bother to get the cook early in the morning. It was prepared the night before, and bread was slightly stale, and hardly any choice. All prefabricated and packed... nothing fresh. Even coffee was in a thermos. I have to say that we were there just over New Years, so maybe at a different time, they may look after breakfast better... However... You cannot find that many times a breakfast just for 5 Euro. Only down the road, in nearby San Rafael, still on the road, there was a "Churrería" where you could have a nice breakfast too...

The hotel did meet our needs. It allowed us to move around the different places we wanted to visit... and it certainly was a quiet place to relax after a hard and tiring touristic day.

HOTEL EL ESPINAR

Crta. N-VI P.K 66,
40400 El Espinar, (Segovia)
España

Tel: 921 18 32 32
Fax: 921 18 25 31
email: recepcion@hotelelespinar.es

HOTEL ZENIT SEVILLA

Zenit is a Spanish hotel chain that so far, is surprising me quite a lot. In Madrid, I have stayed in the Abeba, which was fairly good. In Barcelona, I stayed in Conde de Borrell; good, but not so happy with the breakfast. But I am here to talk about the Zenit Sevilla. It is located in the traditional district of Triana, well known for restaurants and fiesta. In fact, someone told me to avoid Triana if I wanted to sleep. Far from my reality. I got there, and the hotel was rather strange. You had to enter through a tunnel to an inside patio that gave you access to the main entrance. The staff at the desk were very nice. In fact, I asked for a big room, as I was staying there for a few days, and they gave me a bigger one. (My experience is that rooms in this hotels, tend to be rather small). The lift took us to the 4th (and last) floor. The corridor took me back to the medieval times. Really old fashioned furniture, lighting, decor in general. The room was at the end of the corridor. It was big all right. But again, more like a pseudo medieval castle than a 21st century hotel. The room had a little living room with a rather uncomfortable sofa.
The beds were comfortable, maybe too many layers, as Seville is never that cold. But as I always say, it is better to have too many and get them off than not to have enough. In terms of noise... I have to say it was really quiet. The first night someone rang on the telephone mistaken for another room, but appart from that, nothing else. Cleanliness is perfect.

The bathroom was fairly well equipped. The crisis has reduced considerable the little goodies the hotel used to offer.

TV Channels were not scarse. However, for foreigners, there weren't that many. TV was the old huge type, not a flat screen... And it was not that good placed to watch it from the bed. An important point for me is that WIFI is free of charge, so if you bring your laptop with you, you can surf the net as long as you want.

Breakfast was ok. Some fresh fruit, cereals, some cold meat, bread for toast... And only the last day, I was given some squashed tomato sauce and omelette. I was very disappointed about this. Also, the coffee was horrendous (not only in the hotel, but the whole city). I asked for some expresso and they told me the cafeteria was not open until 11, hence, the coffee machine was still not on. Good excuse.

The hotel was far from the buzz from the Cathedral side Sta. Cruz district, but well situated for some Triana restaurants... and just a few minutes walk from Sta. Cruz district... It all depends on what your plans are... but this hotel is, without any special expectation, a good hotel, specially for families and business people.

Zenit Sevilla

Pagés del Corro, 90

41010 Sevilla (España)

Tlf.+34 95 434 74 34

Fax+34 95 434 27 07

E-mail:sevilla@zenithoteles.com