I don't often need to write negative comments as I choose my hotels very carefully (mostly after reading tripadvisor reviews!) but I can honestly say I've never met such miserable and surly waiting staff as those in this hotel. It was a shame because the hotel is really good value for money when compared to other Madrid hotels of the same standard and the staff on the reception were fine - pleasant and helpful. Examples of the breakfast staff's attitude: even though I said a cheery 'Buenos dias' every morning on arrival, I got a mumbled almost grudging response. When we sat down we were made to feel like we were an inconvenience just for being there - no one asked us if we wanted tea or coffee - we had to ask for it, then when it was brought up it was plonked hard on the table. Bearing in mind we were a party of 6 and asked for tea for 6 people (in Spanish!), the male waiter brought 2 small flasks of tea which barely made 3 cupfulls. No milk was brought. Plus we often had to get up and go around the other spare tables to find enough cups and saucers, & cutlery, for our group! The staff were so grumpy that in the end we felt awkward asking for anything. All they seemed to do was clear up and replenish the self-serve food, they never seemed to pay any attention to the people that were in there, it was as if we were invisible! This somewhat spoit my impression of this hotel. That being said the quality and variety of the food on offer at breakfast was good. Waiting staff - please take some lessons in customer service. Bedrooms were a good size, storage space was limited but fine for a few days' trip. Standard of decor was good but if I am honest the colour of the furnishings - everything grey and black - made the rooms quite gloomy, almost depressing. We had 3 twin rooms on 3rd floor at the back of the hotel, overlooking the pool, and they were quite dark inside. We actually wrote beforehand asking for rooms with a lot of natural light, (as previous reviewers had said their rooms were dark and gloomy) - so maybe they are all like it! Bathrooms were modern with shower area, no bath. Walls are thin, you know when your neighbours are in the shower! and the wooden floors mean you can occasionally hear people walking around in heels, but not too bad on the whole. There is nothing much to do near the hotel - which was expected as its in a residential area, except there's a good bar, with friendly staff, on the corner opposite the hotel, with cheap drinks compared to the city centre bars. A fairly big supermarket is just around the corner from hotel in Calle Juan Bravo. The metro station Diego de Leon is a one-minute walk from hotel and has good connections to central Madrid (about 20 mins journey). The metro was very easy to use, efficient and safe, we returned back one night at 1:15am - plenty of people on the trains even at that time. Trains run regularly until 2am. Madrid centre around the Sol area was extremely crowded day and night, just as central London is. Lovely authentic (not typically touristy) bar just off the Plaza Mayor (go to the far corner of the plaza and down some concrete steps to get to the street called Calle Cuchilleros - the bar is called the Arco de Cuchilleros (tableo flamenco) and has flamenco dancers on stage at 10.30pm - you pay a supplement on your first drink to cover the cost of the dancers (first drink was 11euros) then susequent drinks are normal prices, but the dancers are top flamenco dancers and the dancing is as authentic and enjoyable as you will get, second only to what I have seen previously in Seville. Taxi from airport to hotel 30euros each way (40euros on Sundays). Would I recommend this hotel? For value for money, for a short trip, with good connections to the centre.....it's ok.