Open the curtains and it smacks you right in the face. The Madrid Opera, right there, looming high like the beacon of high culture that it is. At Ocean Drive, which opened in March 2022, you’re in the ideal spot both to check out a show – and to explore the rest of the Spanish capital’s treasures while you’re there. The rooms are sleek, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering incredible views over the plaza below. The furnishings are muted and comfortable, while the service is exceptional. The prices, too, are very decent (from £130 per night). But the best thing? One of the city’s best new restaurants, Mar Mía, can be found on the ground floor. Come for an education in Spanish seafood, from boiled crayfish to fried monkfish tails to a lobster roll straight from heaven.
Nearby:
1. Mercado de San Miguel: Tapas-hop your way around this hit street food market, just a few minutes away.
2. La Mallorquina: For pastries and coffee in a Madrid institution.
3. El Rastro: Browse antiques and souvenirs at the city’s most famous flea market.
Time Out tip: Since it’s just around the corner, take a walk around Parque del Oeste. It may often be overlooked in favour of El Retiro in the east, but this leafy spot brims with quirky features, like a cable car system, a maze-like rose garden and the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple donated to Spain by the Egyptian government in the 1960s.