The Four Seasons Madrid is the only Spanish property on the World’s Best Hotels list – but is it worth the hype?

‘We are looking forward to welcoming you!,’ the WhatsApp message pinged unexpectedly some 24 hours before our arrival at Four Seasons Madrid. 

It was from Claudia, part of the hotel’s guest experience team, checking on our arrival time and offering us assistance with taxis and hotel and spa reservations.

Our requests were simple – an early check in, if possible. Which, of course, was granted when we walk through the elaborate doors staffed by men in three piece check suits and top hats the next day.

I have seriously high expectations – and rightly so. The Four Seasons Madrid was the only Spanish hotel to feature in the prestigious World’s Best 50 Hotels this year. So is this Spain’s best hotel? I’m here to find out.

The hotel opened in September 2020 during the height of the pandemic, offering ‘a ray of sunlight for the city amid the negativity,’ the hotel’s General Manager said at the time.

Madrid’s most expensive and luxurious hotel now encompasses seven 19th century buildings that were formerly the headquarters of banks and newspapers. 

The ornate façades and original features were painstakingly preserved and spruced up during the eight year, €530 million renovation and there are now 200 rooms, ranging from ‘guest rooms’ to ‘presidential suites with terraces’, dotted along seven floors.

We’re taken from the posh lobby, where couples sip on espressos next to piles of Hermes and Dior bags, to our room, which is on the second floor.

Harriet Sime, Head of Travel, checks into the Four Seaons Madrid – the city’s most expensive and luxurious hotel

The hotel features an expansive spa expansive which is set over four levels and some 15,000 square feet

The ornate façades and original features of the hotel  were painstakingly preserved and spruced up during the eight year, €530 million renovation

We’re in a loft suite which is set over two floors with soaring double-height ceilings. It’s all solid walnut floors, earthy tones, upholstered headboards, luxury bedding, marble ensuites, and chrome finishes.

We pick on plates of fruit, olives and cheese while snooping around. There’s a formal foyer and cupboard for hanging coats next to a marble bathroom with his and hers sink and a deep tub. 

The main bedroom has Four Seasons’ signature supremely comfy bed with so many pillows we lose count and a huge TV. A few steps downstairs is the lounge area, where we find a second TV, a Lavazza coffee machine, a desk, dining table, sofa and armchair. At 1,130sq foot, the suite is bigger than our London flat.

We spend the afternoon making the most of our room before dragging ourselves away and heading downstairs to Isu, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant. 

We devour delicious plates of nigiri, sashimi and salmon which have been charred by our waiter in front of us as we sip on posh cocktails. It’s high end but in no way pretentious and is the best selection of Japanese food I’ve ever tasted.

Next day, we get up early to explore one of my favourite cities as it wakes up. Madrid has no single draw. Whereas Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Rome has the coliseum, Budapest has the Danube, Madrid has comparably little to offer in terms of blockbuster sightseeing. 

But it’s the atmosphere and simplicity in every day life that I love so much here; the effortlessly stylish locals commuting to work, the giant fluffy dogs playing in the parks (Madrid is one of the most dog-friendly cities I’ve been to), the tables clustered outside trendy coffee shops in pretty squares.

For years, Madrid was a city oddly devoid of luxury hotels. But, just as the pandemic hit, construction begun on a string of high end hotels. Villa Magna reopened as a Rosewood, Ritz reopened as a Mandarin Oriental and trendy properties including Brach Madrid and Madrid Edition have been popping up across the city.

Harriet is welcomed to her 1,130sqm suite with an array of Spanish cheeses and wine 

The Four Seasons is located in the very centre of the centre, just a minutes stroll from Puerta de Sol

The Four Seasons is located in the very centre of the centre, just a minutes stroll from Puerta de Sol, the bustling, main shopping street. It’s not my favourite spot in the city (comparable to Soho in London), but for convenience, it’s unbeatable.

Just a short stroll away is Retiro Park, where we head one afternoon to explore some of its 350 acres before resting under the shade of a giant tree.

That evening, before dinner, we head to the expansive spa which is set over four levels and some 15,000 square feet. We jump straight into the 46-foot sparkling heated rooftop pool, which is glassed over for year-round use. Despite the hotel feeling bustling and busy, we have the whole thing to ourselves for half an hour.

Just after checking out on our final day, we head to Dani’s restaurant on the seventh floor. Created by Spanish celebrity chef Dani Garcia, the brasserie-style restaurant serves up traditional Andalusian cuisine and Michelin-starred specialties and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We’re taken to a table on the expansive terrace which overlooks terracotta rooftops and delightful architecture in that classic Spanish limestone.

Tables of smartly-dressed tourists, locals and businessmen surround us as staff in bright green chinos and braces serve trays of drinking Aperol Spritz.

So is this really Spain’s best hotel?, we discuss over bowls of delicious gazpacho, pasta and salads.

It may be the Aperol talking but we conclude that it absolutely has to be. I can’t think of a better urban hotel in the world. The Four Seasons Madrid is a triumph and one genuinely worth splashing out on for a special occasion.