Hotel Agumar

After first setting eyes on the outside of this unattractive, brown brick property it won't come as any surprise to learn it was build in 1971 -- and its weather worn and dated facade gives the impression its had little love since then. Inside, however, the scene improves in the lobby with a sea of polished marble flooring and wall tiling reflecting ceiling spotlights and a flamboyant centerpiece chandelier. The interior design, nevertheless, is still very much stuck in the '70s with some drab, functional furnishings, outdated signage, and general lack of contemporary styling. Ornately gilded mirrors, antique Oriental vases, and the occasional potted plant do help the ambience and the common areas are impeccably clean and generally well maintained, though you can't get away from the feeling of the hotel being rather tired and belonging to another age. 

The Hotel Agumar is located on a fairly busy road in a largely residential part of Madrid's Retiro district. Although a bit away from the city center, there's plenty within walking distance with Retiro Park just five minutes away and the Prado Museum 15 minutes away on foot. Madrid’s largest train station -- Atocha -- is less than 10 minutes' walk away with direct services to Barajas Airport taking half an hour. The nearest metro station is Menéndez Pelayo -- three minutes on foot and connects to the city center in around 10 minutes -- while the hotel's position also makes easy access by car, with the M-30 and A-3 exit five minutes' drive away without traffic. 

The hotel has 245 relatively spacious rooms, almost all of which are decorated in simple blues and whites with wooden floors. Design is functional and lacks style or polish. Standard in-room amenities include free Wi-Fi, minibars, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, though there's not much in English. Bathrooms are spacious and finished in gray marble with wall-mounted hair dryers and heated towel rails -- toiletries are generic hotel branded. While some rooms have balconies overlooking the street, others just face a dingy internal courtyard. 

Hotel Agumar doesn't have much in the way of facilities beyond eating and drinking. A hot and cold buffet breakfast is served each morning the Piano Room -- though isn't included in the standard rate. Light meals and drinks are served throughout the day in the Pleamar Cafeteria, while the Las Arenas Restaurant serves a menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes with an emphasis on seasonal products for lunch and dinner. Various meeting rooms and event spaces are also available to hire and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.