Principal Hotel

Marqués de Valdeiglesias, 1 (corner of Gran Via 2), Madrid

Genuine style abounds in Madrid with Design Hotels’ latest addition. Just off the central Gran Via, the Principal is perfectly located for a city break to the Spanish capital. Head up to the sixth-floor reception (a nice individual touch), where the light-filled space extends through into the stylish breakfast room and lounge. It’s an interior designer’s dream, adorned with a range of leather and velvet chairs in dusky greens and pinks set against parquet flooring, bold navy walls and huge industrial lighting. Bedrooms are a monochrome affair, scattered with Egon Schiele-style figurative art and floor-to-ceiling windows. Black-tiled bathrooms are crisp and chic. Michelin-starred chef Ramón Freixa heads up the relaxed Ático restaurant, with a menu that features Spanish dishes with a twist, such as baby squid and chickpea, and tomato with burrata and baby onions. A fish-bowl sized G&T should be supped on the rooftop terrace – its cityscape views, bar and relaxed red furnishings will have you charging skyward like a bull to its matador. BG. Doubles from £141, theprincipalmadrid.com