Petit Palace Ducal

Part of Madrid's Petite Palace designer hotel chain, the High Tech Ducal sets itself apart from the other properties in the PP family with its stately location near Gran Via and Chueca. In addition, its various unique design elements make it pop out from the crowd. Though a little bit expensive for Madrid, its combination of great location and charming details make it a splurgeworthy pick.

An old black iron antique elevator provides one charming example of the Ducal's style. And then there are the little secrets, like the antique doorbell in the hallway on the fourth floor. The building's most recently departed long-term tenant lived in an apartment (since converted into several rooms) entered from the door closest to this doorbell. When the Old Señor moved out, the hotel decided not to remove the antique doorbell.

Rooms are decently sized and modestly modern with low beds, minibars, dark varnished floors, up-to-date black-and-white tiled bathrooms, and stark white sheets. There's nothing Old World here. The 58 rooms are decorated in a cookie-cutter manner, a reliable chain hotel consistency. Groups or parents with children should reserve the larger family rooms, whose pull-down beds are slick.

We've saved the best design detail for last. Six standard doubles have large Astroturf terrazas that provide magnificent views of the great buildings on Gran Via. Request one of these; they're not more expensive than internal rooms. Downstairs, there's an Internet corner and café.