The NH Collection Madrid Abascal is a very nice hotel in the Chamberi area of the city. You will be in a quiet safe residential area and will enjoy the more authentic way of life in Madrid, while many landmarks are still within a walking distance away. To get to the airport takes about 30-35 minutes, including a short walk to the Gregorio Maran metro station. A Carrefour Express supermarket is two blocks away, and there are several places to get breakfast around another nearby metro station called Alonso Cano. Numerous buses run along close-by Paseo de la Castellana, another convenient way of getting around. I like to walk, it would take me less than 15 minutes to get to the Nuevos Ministerios area, with all its shopping and the Santiago Bernaba Stadium, by foot. It would take about 40-50 minutes to walk down to Gran Va, Puerta del Sol, Mercado San Miguel and Palacio Real. Most, if not all single rooms face the small glassed-in inner yard. Although I normally prefer street views, I didn't mind staying with no view this time, especially since the room did not feel claustrophobic and there was plenty of daylight coming in through the glass rooftop. The jewel of this hotel is the staff. I met Tania, Jose, Juan Carlos, Alvaro and Guillermo, and every one of them was friendly, professional, attentive and super helpful and also spoke excellent English. If I had a question or a request, the staff would go the extra mile to help out. I especially appreciated their moving me to another room right away after I advised the front desk that the heat in the initially assigned room wasn't working right. Both rooms I stayed in were surprisingly small (if compared to some other NH properties in Madrid). However, the rooms were clean (the bathrooms were spotless too) and nicely appointed, and I had all that I needed for a comfortable stay. Plus I wasn't in Spain to spend my whole visit inside the hotel room there.
