Calle de Antonio Lopez 65, Madrid, Spain | (251) 219-4428
Large, comfortable rooms stocked with toiletries
Bus stop in front of hotel, metro 10 minutes away
Restaurant serves ample buffet breakfast
On-site bar
Free Wi-Fi if room booked directly
Several meeting rooms
Suites are more modern in style
Some rooms have private balconies
Available airport shuttle (for a fee)
30 minutes from the city center
Decor in most rooms is dated
Some rooms face interior air shaft
Wi-Fi costs if not booked directly
No gym on-site
Part of the Santos Hotels chain, the 420-room Praga Hotel is a sprawling property close to the Manzanares River, in Madrid's Comillas neighborhood. It's a 30-minute bus ride from the city center, so it’s not ideal for travelers who want to be very close to tourist attractions, but the bus that stops in front of the hotel and the metro stop a few blocks away both provide fairly easy access. The rooms are comfortable and large enough, if dated in their decor, and come with toothpaste and razors; larger rooms can sleep entire families with teenage children and have private balconies. Business travelers will appreciate the numerous conference facilities. Rates are very affordable, so it’s a good choice for travelers on a budget looking for more space and nicer facilities who don't mind the more removed location.
Scene
Sleek marble and wood common areas in a business and tour group catering hotel
A nondescript brick building on a leafy commercial street south of Madrid's city center, the Hotel Praga has outfitted its spacious common areas in marble and wood paneling, but is otherwise nondescript and fairly impersonal. The lobby has a large seating area with brown leather couches and simple tables. The breakfast room is bright and has somewhat of a cafeteria atmosphere, while Cafe Praga is the most attractive space, with a light beige color scheme. The hotel is popular with tour groups passing through for a night or two, so the breakfast room can get crowded at prime times, and the extensive meeting and event rooms also attract business groups and travelers.
Location
Thirty minutes from the city center, with a bus that stops out front
The hotel is on the outskirts of the city center, in a residential and commercial neighborhood with some bars and restaurants, but travelers looking to spend most of their time at major attractions will spend a fair bit of time on public transportation or in cabs. A bus that stops in front of the hotel gets to the Plaza Mayor in about 30 minutes. It’s a 10-minute drive or 40-minute bus trip from the AVE-Atocha train station and the Prado Museum, and the same distance in the opposite direction to the Caja Mágica sports complex. It’s a 20-minute drive to and from the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and an hour and 15 minutes via public transport. Expect to pay for on-site parking.
Rooms
Spacious and family- or group-friendly, but with dated decor
The 420 air-conditioned rooms seem like they’re part of a different property from the sleek lobby, as they're outfitted with dated floral drapes, green carpets, and basic furniture in the Double, Triple, and Quadruple rooms. The marble bathrooms, at least, feel more contemporary, with large vanities and combination shower/tubs. Toiletries include toothpaste and razors. The suites are much more modern and have sitting rooms with white couches and glass-and-metal coffee tables, and bathrooms with soaking tubs. Rooms also have flat-screen TVs, safes, and hairdryers, and most have mini-fridges. Larger rooms have private balconies. It's worth noting that some rooms look out on an interior air shaft.
Features
Restaurant, buffet breakfast, and meeting rooms
Café Praga has a bar, and serves lunch and dinner; the adjacent breakfast room has a breakfast buffet with a wide variety of cold items and hot dishes. Breakfast is included with some packages.There are a number of rooms available for banquets and meetings. Wi-Fi is free when rooms are booked through the hotel’s website. The hotel also has a concierge and laundry services, and a shuttle to the airport can be arranged through the hotel with notice, for a fee.