If you are looking for the perfect place for a short “City” break in the depths of winter, I can highly recommend the fabulous city of Madrid. And if you want somewhere perfect to stay, then you cannot do better than the Westin Palace Hotel on the Plaza de las Cortes.

A couple of weeks ago my husband, Dan, and I tooted off to Madrid for a short break. I contacted the lovely Sophie Clauzé, Director of Sales, who I met at the Private Leisure Forum in Interlaken, Switzerland in October 2015. I had a strong memory of Sophie telling me how wonderful her hotel was and she invited me to visit soon.

After emailing Sophie, she offered us a FAM rate and an upgrade to one of their suites, which was so lovely. I have to say the rooms are delightful and the view from our suite was one of the best at the hotel.

Bedrooms and Suites at the Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid

The view from our suite at the Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid

From the moment we arrived we were treated so graciously and made to feel very special. The hotel originally opened in 1912 and is known as the iconic “Palace” hotel. It’s right in the centre of Madrid in the “Triangle of Art”, within walking distance of the city’s most prestigious museums: Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia Museums, among others.

The gorgeous entrance and lobby of the Westin Palace Hotel

As a special treat for Dan, I asked Sophie if she could help me get tickets to see Real Madrid v Athletico Madrid, who were coincidentally playing the same weekend we were there. Sophie put us in touch with Ricardo, one of the super efficient concierge team and he managed to secure two amazing tickets for us. I have to say that for Dan, it was a once in a lifetime experience and I loved it too. We even took our very first “selfie” together!

Dan and I at the Bernabau. Sadly, Real Madrid lost 0-1, but it was a fantastic experience to be there.

We did have plans to visit the museums and parks, but anyone who knows us well, will not be surprised that we spent most of our time shopping, drinking lovely Spanish red wine and eating the local jamon!

A good bottle of Ribera del Duero and some amazing Jamon Iberico – perfect!

We loved our little break, in fact it was the first time in almost two years we were able to get away, just the two of us.

A huge thank you to Sophie, Ricardo and everyone at the Westin Palace Hotel for making it so special for us, and also to the team at Private Leisure Forum for introducing me to Sophie.

We loved our stay.

The impressive dome of La Rotonda restaurant at the Westin Palace Hotel