Mid-City Construction Finished, Madrid Is Richer, More Beautiful And Cultural Than Ever, With New Hotels And Fine Restaurants
As I write this, Madrid is sweltering, but when I visited this spring the weather was ideal, as it will be again in the fall. All the more reason to visit this great capital city in those seasons, especially since all the massive construction work in its center has finally been accomplished, opening up the avenues, so that Madrid is more beautiful and scrubbed cleaner than ever.
MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 27: A man looks at of 'The Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych' by the Dutch ... More painter Hieronymus Bosch ymus Bosch (Photo by Pablo) Getty Images
Its position as one of Europe's cultural capitals has been assured since the 1990s, with museums and artistic events expanded well beyond the great Prado and Thyssen museums, boosted by its industrial sector but increasingly dominated by a strong service sector. On my trip I 'discovered' the Bellas Artes de San Fernando, a large collection that includes 13 Goyas and a vast number of his etchings and plates for Los Caprichos. Other recently enhanced institutions include the Palacio de Linares, seat of the Casa de América; the Muséo Arqueologico Naçional; and the Muséo Naçional del Romanticismo.
A self-portrait by Francisco Goya (1785) at the Bellas Artes de San Fernando. John Mariani
Today Madrid's stock market is the third largest in Europe and the city is ranked fifth most important leading Centre of Commerce after London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
As a result, like Barcelona, Madrid has become a very expensive city to live in, and tourists, with 11.2 million visitors last year, gobbled up the BnBs that were once apartments and spent more than 16 billion euros, with Americans leading the invasion.
Rooms at the new JW Marriot Madrid are spacious and have calming lighting. JW Marriott
Responding to this increasingly affluent market, major luxury hotel groups have been popping up on or off the main avenues to compete with longstanding institutions like The Ritz, Gran Hotel Ingles and The Palace, now joined by the thoroughly modern JW Marriott Madrid ( Sevilla 2 ), a block from the main avenue, Calle Alcalá ,with 139 rooms, most with private balconies. Rates are considerably below other deluxe properties like The Four Seasons up the block.
Most rooms at the JW Marriott Madrid have balconies. JW Marriott
My room was quite spacious, very quiet––Madrid is not a raucously loud city––with a balcony set with chairs and small table, a king-size bed and very well equipped modern bath. The expansive lobby has a separate area for the concierge's desk.
There are now several hotels in Madrid that have first-rate restaurants rooms, and the JW Marriott's Qú by Mario Sandoval joins them with an à la carte dining room focusing on local products (Madrid has splendid markets from which to choose the best provender and meats). Sandoval is head of the Croque Group and comes from three generations of chefs. In 2013 he won the Spanish National Gastronomy Award, and his primary restaurant, Croque, has garnered two Michelin stars.
Q by Mario Sandoval is a fine but casual dining room at the JW Marriott. JW Marriott
Q is a simpler, more casual affair, with a smart décor and lounge, antique pillars, tall mirrors and star-like hanging lights.
Cinco Jotas Jamon Ibérico de bellota 5J, which is considered the finest in Spain, uses only an ... More ancient breed of acorn-fed black pigs. John Mariani
I had been eating a fair amount of Spanish ham on my trip, but only Q was offering Cinco Jotas Jamon Ibérico de bellota 5J, which is considered the finest in Spain, founded in Jabugo in 1879, uses only an ancient breed of acorn-fed black pigs (most producers use crossbreeds), and it has a sweet flavor and a satiny sheen of white fat. My friend and I also shared some cod fritters with aji amarillo mayonnaise and a plate of softly grilled artichokes.
Spring's wild strawberries with ice creams served at Q. JW Marriott
Lubina is a sea bass grilled à la bilbaina, with its characteristic, bold garlic and chile oil. For dessert there was a millefoglie of pineapple and cream with ginger ice cream; some perfect springtime strawberries slightly pickled and served with vanilla mascarpone and both strawberry and mint ice creams; and a chocolate, liquid center coolant with pistachio and violet ice cream, finishing off with glasses of Sherry.
Afterwards, at about ten o'clock I took a stroll down the Avenida, which was teeming with young people returning from a Netflix kick-off party in Retiro Park buoyed as much by the music as by the moonlight over Madrid.
In my next report on the city I'll recommend some more restaurants.
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