Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

Character and identity

Set inside the seven-building Centro Canalejas complex, a few paces from Puerta del Sol and Spain's literal Kilometre Zero, this 200-room palace occupies the angled corner of Calle de Sevilla and Calle de Alcalá. The fabric is restored: 16,000 original features, stained glass by Casa Maumejean, a two-storey former bank hall as lobby. Rooms layer walnut floors, marble, chrome and upholstered headboards into grown-up glamour, with Hermès amenities and serious sound-proofing. Dani Brasserie on the roof delivers Dani García's Andalucian cooking; the four-floor spa is reportedly Spain's largest urban sanctuary. Service runs Spanish-warm rather than starched.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pull here is the marriage of a meticulously restored bank-and-newspaper complex to a top-tier kitchen and a vast urban spa, all dropped onto Madrid's most central corner. Couples and design-minded solo travellers get the most out of it; spend up for a room in the triangular point for the views, and book Dani Brasserie before you check in.