9.00: Reopened in April after a $115 million top-to-bottom renovation as the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Spain’s original luxury hotel is still the address for high-rolling international clientele. Whilst its neoclassical columns and coat-tailed bellhops are here to stay, the belle époque beauty welcomes a wellness wing (excavated from under the hotel) and new gourmet concept, overseen by three- Michelin starred Quique Dacosta.
The property’s 153 rooms and suites have also had a makeover, courtesy of Gilles & Boissier, aka the unstoppable French design duo. Request an upper floor suite overlooking the Neptune Fountain on 16th-century Paseo del Prado; Europe’s first tree-lined city promenade, which was granted World Heritage status in July. A vision of hand-tooled Spanish leather details, plush rugs and sumptuous linens (including monogrammed pillows!), the suites buffed Calacatta marble bathroom is the icing on the cake.
10.00: With one of the world’s premier art galleries (the Prado) and Thyssen Museum both on the doorstep, the hotel keeps excellent artistic company. Housed in an aristocratic mansion, Thyssen’s 1,000-plus works retain the feel of a family collection, despite being acquired by the Spanish state. From medieval religious-inspired paintings to pop art by Pollock, a visit here is akin to a journey through the history of art. Work your way down from the second floor, wrapping up with the museum’s just-opened René Magritte exhibition. Running until 30 January 2022, it’s Madrid’s first retrospective dedicated to the Belgian surrealist, in 50 years.
12.00: There are few better ways to recover from museum fever than by eating your way through several of the city’s most charismatic barrios on a bespoke tapas tour. Designed with the culturally curious in mind, Withlocal’s three-hour-long ‘The 10 Tastings of Madrid’ whisks you around tile-clad caverns, neighbourhood bakeries and a tri-floored sustainable market. Escorted by a local foodie guide, you will sink your teeth into bite-sized morsels like creamy croquettes, traditional tortilla and glazed mini donuts, washed down with caña (a small beer) or glass of Rioja. Exploding with inviting aromas at every street corner, it’s no wonder Madrileños “tapear” at any point of the day or night!
There are few better ways to recover from museum fever than by eating your way through the city’s most charismatic barrios on a bespoke tapas tour
15.00: Hail a cab to Puerta de Sol, where Madrid’s Moorish past unfolds several metres below ground. Raised on the remains of an ancient cistern, 300-year-old Hammam Al Ándalus is the city’s more refined answer to Istanbul’s rough-and-ready public hammams. Bathers talk in hushed whispers as they navigate its candlelit clay passageways, tiled antechambers and trio of fragrant pools (ranging from tepid to a fervent 42 degrees). If the bath’s signature Kessa-glove scrub doesn’t undo your afternoon of indulgence, their new ‘Summer Service’ surely will. The highlight has to be the treatment’s vino-inspired foot massage – perfect for living out your grape stomping fantasies!
17.30: The unsung hero of many a classic cocktail, vermouth is enjoying something of a renaissance in the capital. Served de grifo (on tap) in Madrid’s bars, or on the rocks, the aromatised Spanish wine gets special attention at Madrid & Darracott – a bodega-cum-tasting space, located a corks-pop away from Plaza Mayor. Hands-on owners Luke Darracott (a British travel writer and wine expert) and his long-time filmmaker friend Roque Madrid host two-hour-long tastings of the sweet and herby aperitif.
20.00: Spaniards are famous for their late-night eating – a habit that stems from the country being in the wrong time zone since World War II! But some venues warrant an early sitting, like Dani, the seventh floor rooftop restaurant and crowning glory of Spain’s first Four Seasons. Off limits for decades, the historic building’s terrace is one of the capital’s most exclusive. Celebrated chef Dani García’s namesake restaurant delivers Southern Spain on a plate. Think silky green gazpacho (a nod to García’s Andalusian roots), salt-cured scallops and langoustine carpaccio with pine nuts. Sitting between tropical fronds and oversized terracotta pots under tasselled parasols, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the Med, before the city’s tetrad horse chariot sculpture swiftly jolts you back to Madrid.
10:00: After a leisurely breakfast under the crystal ceilinged canopy of Mandarin Oriental Ritz’s newly resplendent Palm Court, make tracks for Atocha railway station. As well as being one of the city’s foremost architectural landmarks, the wrought-iron beauty moonlights as a botanical garden. A retired section of the station is greened by some 400 species of flora, from endangered palm bottle trees to South African bird of paradise flowers.
Atocha railway station is one of the city’s foremost architectural landmarks and moonlights as a botanical garden
10.30: Talking of trees, the city’s oldest one – a 600-year-old cypress – soars skywards in nearby Retiro Park: a former royal hangout dating back to Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II’s reign. The 125-hectare manicured oasis (which visitors share with peacocks, black swans, giant grouper fish and terrapins) still retains a regal air. If weather permits, rent a rowing boat in the shadow of gigantic columns and statues, then make a beeline for Palacio de Cristal. Modelled on London’s Crystal Palace, the ornate glass and steel greenhouse sometimes hosts temporary exhibits curated by Reina Sofía (which completes the city’s trifecta of art museums).
11.30: Exiting from the park’s Alcalá gate (a monument in its own right) puts you within spitting distance of upscale Salamanca, dubbed Madrid’s answer to London’s Notting Hill. Known for its fine dining and niche museums, the neighbourhood’s leafy boulevards and ornate 19th-century façades are primed for lazy wanderings, spliced with some retail therapy. The flagship stores of Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Versace line Calle de Serrano, nicknamed “The Golden Mile” for good reason.
12:30: The Fifth Avenue vibes continue along Gran Vía – Madrid’s most famous thoroughfare – that’s studded with theatres and iconic buildings including Europe’s first skyscraper and the black-domed Metropolis. Even if you’re staying street level, be sure to pass by the newly-revamped Gran Vía Metro station, which vaunts a replica of the original 1917 entrance designed by acclaimed Spanish architect Antonio Palacios.
13.30: All roads eventually lead to Puerta del Sol, which is not only the centre of Madrid, but also the country. Officially the city’s most popular meeting place, its 20-tonne bronze statue of a bear nuzzling a strawberry tree is also the heraldic symbol of Madrid.
14.00: Pounding the historic centre’s cobbled streets is hungry work, so reward yourself with a sweet fix at Madrid’s oldest Chocolateria, San Ginés. During the Second Spanish Republic it was nicknamed La Escondida (the hidden one) on account of its elusive location down a tiny passage called Pasadizo de San Ginés. These days, its egg yolk façade and long line of loyal patrons are a giveaway. Open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year, it serves up deliciously doughy, sugar-dusted churros – a spiral snack that’s practically religion here. San Ginés’ own ready-to-dunk churros are served with steaming hot molten chocolate – a sainted combination, best devoured at the marble bar.
14.30: Crossing Plaza Mayor, take a five-minute walk to Madrid’s Museum of Illusions, which unveiled its eye-tricking exhibits to the public last June. The antithesis of a stuffy museum, its equal parts wacky and wonderful. From holograms to hollow face illusions, you can delight in shrinking yourself Borrowers-style in a huge chair, or (a personal favourite), serving up your head on a platter!
Mandarin Oriental ritz’s marble-walled pool is the perfect antidote to an hour of psychedelic patterns and vortex tunnels at The Museum of Illusions
17.00: Mandarin Oriental Ritz’s marble-walled pool is the perfect antidote to an hour of psychedelic patterns and vortex tunnels. Despite being sunken into the earth, it’s a serenely light and airy space, flecked and fringed with gold and strung with crystal chandeliers. Steal away a couple of hours to indulge in the spa’s Calm and Distress Massage, which blends plant extracts with thermal spring water to revive sluggish circulation.
20.30: Reinvigorated, spend your final evening devouring Dacosta’s Valencian avant-garde cuisine at Deessa – the hotel’s all-white dining room, hung with immense circular discs of dried salt. Reserve a window seat overlooking the lush Ritz Garden, and prepare for an evening of ceremony, as immaculately plated dishes like turbot in sherry sauce and sweetbreads with mountain leaves, are unfurled. Both Dacosta’s contemporary and classic tasting menus celebrate his love of fresh local produce and Mediterranean fare. And in a fitting tribute to Madrid’s artistic DNA, they are presented like miniature works of art. Almost, but not quite, too pretty to eat...
