Hostal Persal

Built inside a structure dating back to 1871, the Hostal Persal is an 80-room Madrid classic. (Breakfast is served downstairs in the hotel's "cave," which dates back even further, to the early 1800s. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.)

The hotel sits squarely on a pedestrian street between Plaza Santa Ana and Plaza Jacinto Benavento. A well-known jazz bar, Café Central and tapas bars sit adjacent to it. And five minutes south is Plaza Sol.

Rooms are small, with hotel-like bedspreads that lack creativity. That acknowledged, Persal's clean, up-to-date bathrooms pick up the slack, as do the wall-mounted flat-panel TVs. Guests enjoy free satellite television and Wi-Fi in rooms. Less is more, aesthetically speaking: bare wood floors, miniature wall lights, and not-in-your-face art all set an appealing minimalist tone.

Request a fourth-floor room and you'll score a newly renovated shower. Note that exterior rooms have balconies while quiet interior rooms overlook a green thumb's patio.

On the service front, Persal punches above its weight. The basics are covered, and there's also a full-service concierge for car rental and sightseeing recommendations.