Palace and Convent Turn Avant-Garde in Madrid 5-Star Hotel Makeover
Welcome to the Palacio de los Duques hotel.
There’s something regal about sleeping, eating, and drinking in a former palace. The five-star Palacio de los Duques hotel in Madrid was created by combining the 19th-century palace of the dukes of Granada de Ega and the neighbouring 13th-century Convent of Santo Domingo, so it definitely has an ornate and opulent, aristocratic and ecclesiastical vibe. Yet in its latest incarnation as a luxury hotel, Palacio de los Duques, part of Spain-based Meliá Hotels International‘s exclusive luxury Gran Meliá collection, has been updated in an avant-garde style that will delight any discerning traveller.
Palacio de los Duques has a privileged location by design. When the palace was built in 1851, it was so the duke and duchess could be close to Queen Isabella II‘s court at the Royal Palace, which is 500 metres away. Most of Madrid’s greatest hits are also within walking distance: La Almudena Cathedral, the Prado, Teatro Real opera house, and the Gran Via shopping street.
For those travelling in Madrid for bike and tapas tours and visits to the Royal Palace and Prado art museum, that means the hotel ticks the box as a classically noble property in Europe with all the design-forward modern conveniences. For instance, a Supreme Room has the option of comfortable twin beds instead of the traditional king-size, yet there’s plenty of velvety, plush carpet and dramatically heavy draperies to go around in the rest of the generously sized room. Pull back those ample drapes to reveal two floor-to-ceiling windows with Juliet balconies overlooking the Isabelline courtyard gardens. The oversized panel over the beds features a giant reproduction from one of Spanish painter Diego Velázquez’s masterpieces, Queen Mariana of Austria (1652-1653).
Decor is also inspired by Velázquez paintings, with huge reproductions behind the check-in desks, on bed headboards in all 180 rooms, on the fabric-covered walls of hallways and doors, and in the RedLevel lounge—the ground-floor sanctuary with patio access for guests in top-tier rooms where breakfast is served, tapas are available all day, and champagne is free-flowing.
The hotel also features a Thai wellness spa and a gym. At the top of the hotel, the seventh-floor rooftop terrace has a pool, bar, and one of the best views in Madrid over the Plaza de Oriente gardens and the adjacent Royal Palace. The aforementioned Isabelline garden lends its name to the hotel’s new signature restaurant—Jardin de los Duques.
The restaurant is in the former stables of the palace and is endlessly atmospheric with its soft lighting, exposed-brick walls, and a see-through plexiglass floor to preserve and showcase the original cobblestone floor of the stables. It’s the place to enjoy the croquettes appetizer and loin of beef for two with a bottle of El Hombre Bala 2020 grenache.
