I absolutely love visiting different countries, experiencing their culture and exploring their streets, whether it be abroad or at home. I would consider myself quite an experienced traveller, lucky to have gone away on holidays every year since I was born (even at 2 weeks old I was dragged to Donegal in a camper van, obviously not a clue what was going on) but my most recent was a trip to Madrid in October, nice little birthday present.
I was delighted to see that the weather was still fab at that time of year with temperatures of 24-27 degrees. I’m not sure whether we got lucky or if that was the norm for the Autumn season but I wasn’t complaining. I just knew I was living it up for 4 days with endless amounts of tapas, sangria and sun! Oh and a few margaritas here and there, my favourite!!!
I have to admit because it was just a relaxing city break, we decided to splash out a little on the hotel and was it worth it? YES! Called ‘Hotel Silken Puerta America’ one of the most stunning and luxurious hotels you could ever imagine, you were always discovering something different and amazing every time you entered their spinning doors. And no, I didn’t re-enact the scene from Elf (if you know, you know). All 12 floors were unique, designed by different architects who created such a sensory experience for us, almost like a museum I fell in love with it straight away and don’t even get me started on the view. If you’re giving Madrid a visit, you neeeed to stay here.
To be honest we went with the intention of having a relaxing one to Madrid compared to other cities we've visited. I feel it is a city best for mostly eating and drinking and we did that well. I was totally taken aback from the size of it, but for tourists you won’t be overly busy, unless you want to keep walking and walking and well, walking. One of my favourite things to do was visiting Retiro Park and with it being one of the hottest days we were there it was just beautiful. We rented out a boat, only €6 might I add and rowed our stresses away, attempted to anyway. We were an absolute disaster at the beginning trying to row the boat, if you had of seen us trying to row you would’ve had a good laugh, it really was ‘You’ve Been Framed’ material. But eventually I got the hang of it and got the ‘needed’ insta picture too. A jug of sangria was well needed after the fear of near falling in.
Of course we couldn’t leave Madrid without going to its oldest chocolatier, hidden in the cutest of streets it can only be spotted by its neon sign and still then we nearly walked past it. Flooded with tourists and locals ‘San Gires’ was thee place to try ‘Churros y chocolate’ and they were yummy! Despite the inside of the building being so old and damp, the tastiness of the chocolate, that was so thick you had to eat it with a spoon and the atmosphere made them worth it, also brought a bit of authenticity to it as they did open in 1894. And now I’m craving them.
One of our other stops was admiring the architecture in the heart of Madrid; Plaza Mayor, the famous square filled with restaurants and bars where you’re sure to find a fair mix of tourists and locals. We couldn’t not enjoy a local beer here as it was a prime spot for people watching and a bit of fun! As you probably know Madrid is famous for tapas food and if that didn’t make me happy! Cheese, various types of ham (that was defo overpriced, I mean I could've strolled into Lidl for a 1/4 of the price but I was on my holidays so?), and bread. The perfect mid-day snack which complimented a glass of red wine very well. The phrase ‘treat yoself’ ran through my mind too often on holiday as I may have indulged in tapas too much, but I couldn’t help it.
Another beautiful attraction was the Royal Palace building. Simply amazing. I have to appreciate the time and effort that went into the construction of these buildings as they are just so pretty and detailed. We decided to not do the inside tour as the queue was faaaaar too long, we probably went at the worst time to be fair. But sitting on the steps in the sun taking in the views and admiring the huge building that surrounded us was good enough for us.
For all you with shopping addictions, like me, get to Madrid now! I swear it is the best place to go; they have an absolutely massive Zara (felt great stepping back into one as Belfast’s one is still closed because of the Primark fire, cry), Stradivarius, Bershka and then their local boutique shops that we don’t have are also fab and super-duper cheap! I advise just bringing an empty suitcase if you want to go all out, wish I had of known to do this.
And if you want to do a little partying…I definitely recommend hitting up Sunset 80’s club, only if you enjoy 80’s music though I guess which for me I was in my element!! Going with the intention of only staying for a while but ended up staying the whole night, got carried away with too much gin, dancing and making friends with Germans, don't even ask.
Of course you can’t go away without going to a rooftop bar; ‘The Penthouse’ was amazing, only opening at 5pm, we were there just shortly after and just about nabbed the last two seats, it’s very popular with the locals to go for their after work drinks. This led me back onto the margaritas that came with an absolutely stunning view over the city! I can’t recommend this place enough, it was a bit pricier than the bars along the streets but what else do you expect? No harm in getting a few cocktails and it was a lovely way to spend our afternoon-simply relaxing and living a temporary dream.
As you can see we did over indulge. Madrid is a must see city, full of amazing buildings, architecture, tapas, history, fun nightlife and pretty, pretty streets (I love them, can you tell?). With their easy to follow Underground public transport you will have no problems getting around and you'll never be stuck for something to do. Also a great cheap spot for us students. I highly recommend you book yourself a flight or if you already have your trip planned, have lots of fun x