Four Seasons Hotel Madrid

Set inside seven historic buildings joined within the Centro Canalejas development, this five-star hotel occupies an 1880s structure an 8-minute walk from Plaza Mayor and 1 km from the Prado, with the Sevilla metro station a minute away. The 200 rooms and suites keep flat-screens, sitting areas, minifridges and coffeemakers as standard, with upgraded rooms adding street views and suites offering separate living rooms, and some fireplaces, bars or terraces.

The spa spreads across four floors with eight treatment rooms (including a couples' suite), a sauna, a steam room and a 14-metre indoor pool topped by a full-size skylight, with a sun terrace on the eighth floor. Dining runs to two restaurants, including a rooftop venue by chef Dani García, plus a cafe and a lobby lounge built around 3,700 restored architectural artefacts from the building's former life as a bank.

Room service runs 24/7. It suits guests weighing a central, amenity-dense five-star stay against other Madrid properties in the same tier.