My husband and I stayed at the Gran Melia Fenix for 4 days in November. I have stayed in several places in Madrid- Westin Palace, Hotel Hesperia, Melia Los Galgos- the Gran Melia Fenix rivals all. The location simply cannot be beaten- you have access to everything without the claustrophobic feeling you get staying in the area around the Ritz/ Palace (Plaza de Canovas). The GM is totally renovated, beautiful lobby and our room was enormous with a huge bathroom- a major luxury in Europe. Had incredible help from staff when we did need it, some of the best time we spent was wandering through the Salamanca neighborhood and going for tapas in the Santa Ana area. If you get a craving for American food the Hard Rock is right around the corner (be aware that on Sunday that may be your only option as almost everything is closed). The Colon metro stop is right there for longer excursions but you literally can get almost anywhere on foot from the GM. Be sure and ask for a room that faces the Plaza Colon.

Stayed in Gran Melia Fenix in June 2008 in a king non-smoking corner room. Room was good size, very clean, with large bathroom complete with plenty of toiletries, hair dryer, robe, slippers, etc. Bed was a litte hard. Armoire had safe and mini-bar. Internet access in room is 8EUR. Staff was all helpful and kind; concierge offered good recommendations on restaurants and site-seeing. Hotel is centrally located in Serrano shopping area and just short walk (10 min) to many museums and sites. Taxis were easy to find.

Everything I would expect from a 5* hotel. I have to admit, this is the first 5* hotel I have stayed in but I was not disappointed. The lobby is a bit small, but very beautiful with a grand staircase. Also on the same floor there is a beautiful little lounge and bar room with a very cozy feel. There is even a doorman to meet you upon your every arrival and departure. The location is very good being in the center of the old part of Madrid with fountains and statues right outside the hotel. Also, there is a Hard Rock Cafe right below the hotel if you aren't interested in the Spanish cousine. When entering the room I found chocolates to greet me with a beautiful plush bed with a very rich cozy decor. All the lights and airconditioning could be controlled by a little black box that sits on the night stand next to your bed. There is a maid service in the morining and a turn down service in the evening, where they again give you little chocolates. There are plenty of channels on the tv to choose from, including a few English speaking channels, a German channel and another channel in which I believe they spoke Japanese. The bathroom is done up in all marble with all the toiletries that you will need, so no need to bring your own. I also, really loved that there were speakers in the bathroom that were connected to the televison so I was able to listen to the tv while I showered. I've never done that before and found that to be a really neat touch. The rooms are spotless and the staff was very nice. Every moning when I was leaving my room, the maids always greeted me and even when I tried to speak Spanish, they were nice enough to speak to me in English. That was really nice. The breakfast is nice, but for a 5* hotel, the selection was not as large as I expected but there was still enough choices to find something you will like. This is a great hotel and I will definetely stay here again when I return to Madrid.

Hotels in Madrid tend to be quite expensive and the Grand Fenix is no exception . The Location is ok its about 15 minutes walk from the main tourist attractions . There are two types of rooms the ones that face inwards with no view which are a bit small however the bed was comfy . My colleague asked for a better room and paid 35 Euro more and got a room with an outside balcony and a view . A couple of things you have to know is that the restaurant does not open until 9pm and breakfast starts at 7am till 11 which is not untypical of Madrid . The staff were very helpful and I would stay there again

We came here as a graduation present for my son. We have 5 in the family and ended booking two rooms that connected. We arrived late in the morning and they had the rooms available--not always the case in Europe. The staff was fantastic. We didn't ask for much and sometimes didn't leave the hotel until around 2pm. Our rooms were always cleaned and serviced when we returned. The concierge ensured some of our questions/wants were taken care of (eg. bullfighting tickets, reservations at specific restaurants). My experience is that there is a tipping point in the price of hotels in this area. The Gran Fenix is expensive but if you go lower in this area, you'll be disappointed with the quality and service. We looked at the Melia Princesa (very close to the Palace) and we are glad we chose the Gran Fenix. I've stayed at the Melia Castillo many times (north of the downtown by the Europa Towers) and was always a little miffed at the time and trouble it took to do the Metro and the Taxi's. The Castillo had larger rooms but I didn't like the location as much for a holiday. The location is great and very easy to walk to most places or take the Metro to get anywhere within 10 minutes. Perhaps the best part of the hotel is that there is absolutely no noise. We faced Calle Castelana (very very busy) and could never heard a thing-2 double pane windows. Bathrooms are a little small but really not a problem. The best shopping area in the city is in this area. Calle de Serrano is spectacular and the restaurants and night scene is very nice...not too wild but enough of a variety to make it worthwhile to walk another block or two. Overall...I'd come back to this place anytime.