Visiting Madrid: Thyssen Museum

It is time of one of our autumn-winter specials. On this occasion we have planned to do a series of tours to different cities in Spain, in order to finish a mini book with tourist routes around this country: from the most urban to the most natural destinations, from the most wonderful Majorca beaches to the frantic Gran Vía in Madrid.

Madrid is precisely our first destination. Yes, the Spain capital opens this series, it couldn't be any other way . We go to Madrid with an art plan for everybody.  We have immersed in Madrid art triangle and have rescued this from its sea bottom. Read, take note and book your getaway to Madrid before new year. It’s worth it. It’s really worth it.

The first stop, outside our hotel next to El Retiro: Thyssen Bornemisza Museum. Located very close to Banco de España metro station, to Cibeles and to Madrid City Hall, this art centre is full of novelties for autumn.  Carmen en las colecciones españolas is about to close . This exhibition was installed in the first floor balcony, conceived of as a complement to the Carmen Opera by Bizet of La Zarzuela Theatre.  Altogether, twenty selected works about the iconography of Carmen myth signed by Picasso, Gonzalo Bilbao, Ramón Casas. This exhibition, opened until November 9th, includes a cinema series every Saturday.

Recently opened, we can also appreciate Hubert de Givenchy and an American Impressionism exhibition. The first one, with the designer as organizer, is a guide throughout the career of this important character in French fashion. The second one breaks the mould, bringing for the first time to Spain a complete exhibition with 60 works of North American artists, which have get an important position as far as impressionism is concerned. All of them made between 1880 and 1890.

In next exhibitions of Thyssen Museum, we could enjoy in 2014/2015, Zurbarán and Munch in their rooms. The first exhibition will be dedicated to the painter Raoul Dufy, on February 2015, with its passion for daily hedonism. An exhibition full of colour and authenticity, representing a milestone in visualisation of this artist in Spain, almost 65 years after his death.

It will be followed, closer to Summer, at the beginning of June 2015, by Zurbarán exhibition: a new perspective, where we will find some of the unpublished canvas of this painter discovered in last years.

Munch exhibition will be on display in almost one year, until next October. It will be organised by Oslo Museum which is dedicated to this artist. It is the first time that we will enjoy more than 70 works of Munch in Madrid, offering a complete tour through the career of the author of the famous painting Skrik.

Practical information:

→ Museum entry is free on Mondays, from 12 to 16 hours. Just permanent collections.

→ Madrid Thyssen Museum Hours

→ Museum map

→ How to arrive to Madrid Thyssen Museum

Accommodation in the centre of Madrid:

→ Embassy Serrano Hotel

→ Art Gallery Hotel

→ Lealtad Plaza Hotel

Confortel bets on the electric car

The services we find in a hotel in Madrid are today so varied that they do not stop surprising us. A good example of this is the new initiative of the Confortel Hotels chain: to provide a charge point for electric cars to its guests.

For the time being, you can enjoy this option in Confortel Atrium in Madrid, a hotel in Arturo Soria, Ciudad Lineal, specialised in business guests and getaways to the capital, but the aim is that, inch by inch, the service could be offered in all the hotels of this group in Spain.

The electric charge service for cars is completely free for all the guests that book their room in Madrid with car park in the hotel, and offers two types of charges: fast and slow, adapted to all the electric car models and all the brands.

Confortel Atrium turns into one of the few business accommodations in Madrid offering this functionalism, an option joining other actions that the chain is carrying out in relation to the protection of the environment and the contribution to a most sustainable tourist industry.

Located just 10 minutes away from the IFEMA Trade Fair and the Barajas Airports, this hotel has 195 rooms, completely free wifi service, restaurants, gym, rooms for the celebrations of business meetings. On its official website, additionally, they regularly offer special discounts for cheap business stays in Madrid. Now, only applicable by that portal.

Petit Palace Mayor Plaza: The entrance to the real Madrid

 Today’s review corresponds to a hotel located right in front of the emblematic Plaza Mayor of Madrid: the Petit Palace Mayor Plaza. Just like all the hotels of the Basque hotel chain, this accommodation stands out for its excellent combination of history and innovation, creating a hotel full of charm, but with the most modern services of the moment.

The hotel Petit Palace Mayor Plaza is constructed on the land that was formerly occupied by the  house in which Lope de Vega was born, facing the Plaza Mayor and steps away from the famous San Miguel market, where nowadays you can find true gourmet delicacies and typical products, made with to the highest quality.

As an accommodation, the Petit PalacePlaza Mayor is ideal for weekend escapades or family trips to discover Madrid: Its location and its versatile spaces offer the traveller the possibility of enjoying the best atmosphere without giving up on a the comfort of a hotel with family rooms in the the centre of Madrid.

One of its strongpoints is the architecture and decoration that can be admired throughout its rooms, from the common areas to the bathrooms, all with hydromassage showers. But the jewel of the crown are the rooms with views to the Plaza Mayor, specially for those visiting Madrid for the first time.

Another advantage, is that it is one of the few hotels in Madrid that admit pets and that, in addition, it offers special services for animals, like beds and feeders but, only for pets up to 15 kilos.

Key points:

· Hotel in Madrid with luggage drop-off

· Hotel in the centre of Madrid with wifi free

· Hotel with computers in the rooms

· Boutique hotel and views to the Plaza Mayor of Madrid.

Petit Palace Puerta del Sol: Live in Madrid

 The Petit Palace Puerta del Sol requires one of the most outstanding hotel review: its history and location make it a unique hotel to recommend to anyone who first travels to Madrid and wants the enjoy the city to the fullest.

It is a hotel in Calle Arenal 4 in Madrid, a unique building that retains its beautiful facade from the 19th Century and from which you can observe the bustle of the square from the comfort of a modern and fully equipped hotel with the best technology .

The rooms next to the Puerta del Sol are a luxury available to everyone who wants to visit the capital and meet its most emblematic and historic places without sacrificing the comforts of a hotel with free wifi in Madrid, including the rooms, with daily press, computers...

The only problem is that, since it is a boutique hotel in the centre of Madrid, the number of rooms is limited and you need to book early to get accommodation.

Guests can enjoy a daily breakfast and a discount for the parking in Plaza del Carmen, to leave the car in the centre of Madrid with total confidence and at very affordable prices. Although the hotel has cheap rates, the best way to get deals for this hotel in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid is to book directly from its official website.

The highlights:

· Perfect for family holidays.

· Arranged parking for all guests.

· Internet access throughout the hotel and its rooms.

· Breakfast and daily newspaper.