Newly opened in June 2010, Dormirdcine is a unique, designer boutique hotel that doesn’t come with a designer price. Considering its location in the posh area of Salamanca, Madrid as well as the unique room décor and the overall cool ambiance, rates are very reasonable – starting as low as 79 euro a night. The hotel is an easy five minute walk from the Diego de Leon metro stop, which links the airport with only one line transfer.
Literally translated as “to sleep at the cinema”, the 85-room Dormirdcine, offers modern hotel singles, doubles and suites, each with a cinematic theme. The room I stayed in, The Beatles, featured a huge mural with a stylized “All you need is love” painted on the wall behind the bed. And, it was good to know that in case of emergency, Batman was right next door. Other room themes include: Woody Allen, Tim Burton, The Hulk, King Kong, Lost in Translation and Penelope Cruz. Each impressive mural is painted by a local artist, and Dormirdcine sponsors an exhibition of one artist each month or so. It also organizes concerts and competitions.
Starting with the extremely friendly and helpful front desk staff, (24 hour reception), the Dormirdcine experience was delightful throughout. The reviews I found on various websites mostly gave excellent all-around ratings to the hotel, while the few complaints, like no coffeemaker or free bottled water in the mini fridge, were true but easily overlooked. My window looked directly onto the church next door, but then I didn’t book the room for the view.
The uniquely placed lighting in the room, including neon green and fuchsia on the headboard and bedside lamp, is fun to play with and arrange according to your mood. And, oh yes, if you still happen to be a Charlie Sheen fan, not to worry—you can still watch Two and a Half Men during your Spanish getaway, thanks to Dormirdcine’s wide range of television channels in each room. Only one catch: it’s dubbed in Spanish. Be forewarned that if you need to make any local calls from the room, they will be charged to your bill. But there is free wifi throughout the hotel so you can use your skype account to make calls instead.
The bar downstairs is small but good for meeting other guests, most of whom are businessmen and women. The restaurant, open for a breakfast buffet and for dinner, is sleek and silver in color, in keeping with the hotel’s style. Smoking is not allowed anywhere within the hotel.
There are quite a few good restaurants and tapas bars within a 10 minute walk of the hotel if you want to get out and explore the area. One friendly and lively place, 5 J’s (also known as Meson Cinco Jotas), specializes in Jamon Iberico, but also offers an interesting selection of traditional dishes from all over Spain as well as Spanish beer on draft. Of course, smoking is allowed in many bars such as this one, and there isn’t always a non-smoking section, so keep that in mind when you’re searching for a place to have your meal.
Although the hotel is not centrally located, its proximity to the metro makes any touristic expedition very convenient; plus, you avoid the crush of the tourist crowds. The city’s largest park, Parque del Retiro, as well as the Old Town area, are both within easy walking distance of the hotel.
Dormirdcine
Calle del Principe de Vergara 87
28006 MADRID
Metro Diego de Leon
Tel: +34.91.411.08.09
Written by Suchi Rudra for EuropeUpClose.com