Know Before You Go: Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid
This was our first stay at a Mandarin Oriental property, and it certainly won’t be our last. Setting the standard for luxury, service, and family-friendliness in Madrid, this grand, historic hotel is ideally located next to the Prado Museum and a short walk from Retiro Park. With much to commend it — a stellar dining and beverage program featuring Michelin 2-star Deessa and a champagne bar, a luxurious spa with stunning indoor pool, and an enviable art collection — we found it hard to leave the comforts of the hotel and venture out into Madrid. No detail with the guest experience was too small to be overlooked here. We cannot wait to return.
OVERALL RATING
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Exceptional
Overview
At-a-Glance
Date of stay: December 2022
Length of stay: 2 night / 3 days
Trip type: City stopover on family driving trip across Spain and France
Property type: Luxury “urban oasis” city hotel and spa
Tailor-made for: Culture lovers, foodies, and families visiting Madrid
Highlights
Interconnecting rooms - spacious, modern, and bright
Warm and well-executed service experience throughout all aspects of our stay
Stunning underground pool (family-friendly)
All dining, but especially dinner at Michelin 2-star Deessa and room service chocolate dessert
Location near Retiro Park
Afternoon tea with tableside teddy bear hot cocoa for kids
Drinks at Pictura
Good to Know
Check out the hotel’s pillow and bath menus
This hotel is the definition of fancy and on the more formal side, and high profile events are regularly held here
Le Jardin outdoor restaurant can have long waits in summer; in cooler months, they provide tableside fireplaces and blankets for guests
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Location & Setting
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Located next to the Prado and a short walk to Retiro Park, the location is ideal for visiting museums, parks, restaurants, and shops in the famous Golden Triangle of Art of Madrid.
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Property & Grounds
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The Belle Époque palace was built in 1910 by César Ritz and Charles Mewès on a commission from King Alfonso XIII after he visited the Ritz Paris. Over a century later, the hotel was completely refurbished. To say this place is splendid is an understatement.
The property consists of:
3 dining venues — including a Michelin 2-star restaurant — a cocktail bar, a champagne bar, and in-room dining
Underground spa, fitness center, and indoor pool
Private gardens (El Jardín del Ritz)
Conference and event facilities
The cocktail bar also doubles as a gallery
Note that lots of events are held here and the Palm Court is popular for afternoon tea. Two highly-visible, exclusive events were happening here during our stay, including filming in the garden at night while we had dinner at Deessa, and security were everywhere. It was a proper scene but added to the atmosphere of the place.
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Room
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We booked interconnecting Deluxe Rooms (one King room, one Double room) and the setup could not have been better for our family. The technology and lighting in the rooms were all modern, while the furnishings reflected a modern take on classic elegance. Each room consisted of a bed (or beds), wall closets with smartly-designed storage space and bar, flat-screen TV, chair and table, and windows with views over the hotel gardens and the Prado. Bathrooms were spacious with double sinks, shower with wet bath, and separate toilets. Bath amenities were also special highlights with Diptyque toiletries and GHD hair dryers and hair straighteners.
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Service
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With such a formal and splendid setting, we expected the service to be stuffy. It wasn’t. The service was inviting from the start, and our children were warmly welcomed. This was perhaps the best service experience we’ve had at any hotel ever. Not only were staff members proactive and attentive about our needs, the service experience was also exceptionally well-executed, and no detail was overlooked. Chat-based texting worked wonders and twice-daily housekeeping was impeccable, with delicious chocolate turndown treats left at turndown. The hotel offers an extensive pillow and bath menu with 10 different kinds of pillows and 11 different bath types that could be drawn for you by the hotel staff.
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Dining
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The food and beverage program here was strong across the board, from our dinner at the hotel’s Michelin 2-star restaurant, Deessa, to the delightful morning breakfast spread with hot items ordered a la carte (included in our room rate), and the delectable afternoon tea we had at the Palm Court. Even in-room dining surpassed expectations in terms of food quality, menu selection, timeliness of delivery, and state of the food on arrival. Pictura Bar was a great place to have a craft cocktail, featuring one of the most beautiful rooms in the building. While we didn’t try the Champagne Bar, the aesthetics were lovely.
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Family Services & Amenities
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Children’s welcome amenities of Mandarin Oriental branded drawstring backpacks and ball caps were provided in room on arrival, and personalized welcome messages were left on the bathroom mirrors in the children’s room. The hotel had kids menus available at the Palm Court and via in-room dining. Children’s robes and slippers in different sizes were provided upon request, and were available at the spa for families there to swim. There is also a bath menu with a children’s bubble bath option (for a fee), which the girls loved.
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Activities
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This hotel checked all the boxes for activities in an urban luxury hotel — fitness center, spa, dining, afternoon tea, gallery, and gardens. Most of the activities were to be found outside the hotel in the city, and the concierge was helpful at providing suggestions tailored to families and booking museum tickets.
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Wellness
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The hotel’s underground spa, fitness center, and pool created the feel of an urban oasis. The pool is simply stunning — with marble everything, gorgeous lighting design, and chandeliers — and we had it all to ourselves for an entire afternoon by some lucky accident. Children are welcome to use the pool and there is an attendant that also acts as a pseudo-lifeguard, though no children’s flotation devices or toys are available. There was pool exercise equipment available, however, which the children used as pool toys. Interestingly, the pool and jetted tub area were the same temperature (slightly on the cool side), which seemed like a missed opportunity.
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Wow Factor
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The wow factor here is hard to overstate. It is pure elegance at every turn, yet the stylishness of this hotel is backed by the substance of dedicated operators who know how to deliver an exceptional guest experience in every possible way.
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Value
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We booked an exceptional rate here via FoundersCard, but even standard rates here are fair for European city hotels. Including breakfast in the rate also adds to the value equation.
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Overall
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Our high expectations were surpassed. We knew the hotel would be beautiful from all the pictures, and it was. However, we were not expecting the place to feel so warm and welcoming, especially toward young children. We loved all the thoughtful, well-executed service touches, the beautiful underground pool, and the strong dining program. Would highly recommend a stay here, especially for foodies, and we cannot wait to return someday.
Rating Legend*
💛💛💛💛💛 Exceptional
💛💛💛💛 Notable
💛💛💛 Standard
💛💛 Substandard
💛 Unsatisfactory
*All ratings are relative to similar-class properties
