Tucked into the Barrio de las Letras, the Room Mate Alba hotel fits perfectly into the neighborhood. You will find a friendly staff, surprisingly deluxe accommodations at an affordable price, and a location that puts you in the center of the action. These are our five favorite reasons to stay at Room Mate Alba.
The design
Each Room Mate hotel bears its own design with a local name. It as if you’re staying with a friend that is a local in the area. Alba teaches us that this neighborhood was once a major hub for prominent writers and authors. What you will discover throughout the hotel, is that exact theme.
Entering the lobby, you almost feel like you’re walking into a scene from The Great Gatsby. While there is not a lot of public space, what there is available is well used. There’s a lovely lounge and bar on the opposite side of the entrance, and the grand staircase that leads to the room is beautiful. You will find a similar look throughout the hotel.
The rooms
None of them are gigantic, but they do make great use of space. Coordinated carpeting, wallpaper and in-room fabrics add a lot of appeal to the rooms. As you walk down the hallway and peer into different rooms, you might notice that each layout is different. That’s because almost all the buildings in this area are historically protected.
Designers here to defect fantastic job of making a great use of space. I loved the large beds with wonderful duvets and gigantic pillows. Having a pillow menu that you could select from added a luxury touch.
The bathroom has bright shower stalls or combination tubs with excellent water pressure and scented toiletries in eco-friendly pump bottles.
I just wish that the rooms had boxes of tissues, which is something I’ve noticed that more European hotels are omitting from their offering.
The breakfast
Each morning, the main lobby lounge offered a lovely breakfast spread that went beyond your typical eggs and cheese. I love that I could sit by the window and watch the world pass by as I have endless cups of coffee made just the way I want it from the machine.
Often times in Europe, the coffee is too strong for my American taste, and I really liked being able to customize my own version here. I also like the fact that they had takeaway cups, which is not something I’ve seen other hotels in Europe.
At breakfast, there were plentiful vegetarian, and gluten-free options, plus a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt, Spanish meats and cheeses, and superfood toppings that you could add to your meal. There is no other restaurant here, but there is plenty of dining choice within walking distance to the hotel. The lounge has a great collection of tapas and cocktails later in the day.
The location
Speaking of the hotel’s address, you cannot be more centrally located than this hotel. Just a few minutes walk, and you will be in Puerta del Sol or Gran Vía. If you walk in the other direction, you will be in the Golden Triangle of Art, which is Madrid’s trifecta of top-tier art museums.
The gym
Unusual for a small boutique hotels in this part of town, there is a fitness center in the basement of the hotel. It has free weights plus modern workout machines like treadmills. These types of facilities can be expensive for hotels, and I found that this was a really nice addition to have available for guests.
