Madrid

On March 31, ’07 the new 22,000 square-meter annex designed by Navarran architect Rafael Moneo was officially presented to the press by the Minister of Culture. This new wing adds fifty per cent to the museum’s total space allowing the museum to exhibit some 500 more works from the permanent collection. This constitutes the largest expansion in the museum’s history. The expansion work was begun at the end of 2002 in the cloister of the neighboring San Jerónimo church and has cost over 152 million euros. The principal entrance will now be through the center Velázquez door facing the Paseo del Prado, and the vestibule connecting the original Villanueva building to the Moneo annex will house ticket booths, the coat check, an auditorium and new cafeteria. The annex will officially open on 30 October with a special exhibit of 19th century Spanish paintings.

Iberia has just announced new non-stop flights from Boston to Madrid beginning 6 May and from Washington D.C. to Madrid beginning 2 June. The flights will connect to Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Santiago, Sevilla and Valencia.

Sale restriction: Tickets must be purchased by May 31, 2007.

Offer validity:
From Boston: Valid on flights starting May 6 up to May 15. (Departures from May 16 up to December 31, you must add $100 to prices specified).
From Washington D.C. on flights starting June 2 up to December 31, 2007.
Minimum stay: Sunday stay.
Maximum stay: 30 days
Child discounts: - Child (2-11 years): 25% of the adult fare - Infant (0-2 years): 90%, not occupying a seat.

This Sunday’s New York Times Style magazine “Spanish Major” highlights Madrid as Spain’s “coolest city”. It features several hotels, restaurants, tapas bars and shops, which we thoroughly researched during our Christmas stay in the city. Their hotel choices include the ultra slick, boutique 4-star Hotel Urban and the more moderately priced designer-on-a-budget Hotel Room Mate Alicia both perfectly located just minutes from the Prado.

The writer also hails our favorite tapas bar in this fantastic area, the Cervecería Cervantes, always lively and packed with locals, offering great canapés, grilled shrimp and the best draft beer in town. A must stop for us when staying in the neighborhood.

Of the five disciples of Ferran Adria of El Bulli mentioned, we enjoyed the creative dishes of Dario Barrio, chef of Dassa Bassa, whose three subterranean, stone, all-white dining rooms are housed in a former coal warehouse in the elegant Salamanca neighborhood.

And for the ladies, the best shop in town to buy high style rope soled espadrilles is Cristina Castañer on Claudio Coello, one of the most posh of the Salamanca district's shopping streets.

You can read the complete article at - http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/travel/tmagazine/03place.opener.13.t.html?em&ex=1174968000&en=80cee8f4a6959d05&ei=5087%0A

For more a more informative and personal look at Spain’s coolest city, you should refer to Maribel’s Guide to Madrid (http://maribelsguides.com).

Several new hotels have recently opened in Spain's capital city, including the much anticipated and acclaimed ME Hotel, a major addition to the Melia Hotel chain. Originally known as the Renia de Vitoria, a classic hotel where noted matadors have stayed for years, it was originally due to reopen, after major renovations, as a Hard Rock Hotel, but the name and association was dropped when the Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole tribe in Florida. The hotel has instead reopened as a premiere destination in the Plaza Santa Ana and as a new concept in hotels for the Sol Melia Hotel Group.



The marking director took us on a private tour of the classic and superior rooms and new suites, all with private balconies, occupying the top floor during a visit over the Christmas-New Years holidays. Besides its other improvements, the hotel includes a highly popular rooftop bar, the Midnight Penthouse, offering breathtaking and unsurpassed views of Madrid, both day and night.

For anyone who may remember the Hotel Renia Victoria (Harold and Clare), they may be interested in knowing that the hotel has retained four of the mounted toros bravo heads in the bar/restaurant area on the main floor, possibly in a bid to attract some of today's premiere matadors, el Juli, Fandi, etc., and their entourages. Regardless, it is now a classy, upscale hotel with an outstanding selection of well-appointed, spacious rooms and a large rooftop lounge/bar, open to the public, overlooking the city.