Together in eclectic dreams: Madrid’s Bless Hotel

By News Room On Mar 11, 2024

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This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Madrid

When it comes to chic capital-city districts, Madrid’s elegant Salamanca neighbourhood is one of the most delightful to roam — there’s a sense of luxury and ease, and lots of great window-shopping, but none of the chilly smartness of Paris or New York. And right at its heart is the Bless Hotel, in a 19th-century building (it was called the Velázquez in a former incarnation, my taxi driver told me) that now welcomes in the passing world with huge street-level glass doors that open up completely to a vibrant bar area. This is the Pinzelada lounge — anything from a cup of tea to cocktails, music and very good light bites — with a mood that’s relaxed and just bustling enough at most times of the day.

The hotel’s interiors were reimagined by designer Lázaro Rosa Violán in a style I can only call eclectic. Patterns and swirls, ruched fabrics and roses on carpets, exotica and tradition, hot colours and deflected lighting: this is full-on maximalism. A nooky reception area has been cast as a book-lined study — but all the books are reversed, spines to the wall, leaving shelves of monochrome page-edges. Ouch. The breakfast room boasts a life-size bronze-effect rhinoceros suspended from a huge octagonal skylight, while African masks and outsized tusks jostle curlicue ceiling mouldings above vibrantly patterned carpeting. The very low light and smoochy music contribute to an atmosphere that is more end of night than early morning, but luckily breakfast is delicious, and the staff attentive and delightful, so we soon forgive the rhinoceros.

The glory of Bless is its rooftop, where the Picos Pardos Sky Lounge bar and restaurant has stunning views across the low-lying city: the sunset is spectacular. There’s a relaxed, resort-type feel here: a small but temptingly gleaming swimming pool is surrounded by cabana-style loungers (made for couples, of course) and the cocktails are obviously serious, while the menu includes ceviches and carpaccios, with an emphasis on the fresh and the raw. On my visit, the guests and diners were young Madrileños and the atmosphere quiet and easy. Elsewhere in the hotel, restaurant SLVJ has a more formal atmosphere, with chef Fermín Azkue and mixologist Borja Goikoetxea. But you can’t miss that roof.

In the very generously sized bedrooms, the design style is more muted and restful, and hotel beige makes its comeback. The vast bed was blissful; there was old-school comfort, with masses of natural light but delightful quiet high above the Calle Velázquez; and the capacious bathroom must have been a legacy of the older hotel: it could almost have been a bedroom on its own. (But here again, a bit of over-fussiness: the inviting period-style bathtub was strewn with hydrangea heads and long sprigs of lavender — very pretty, but what on earth do you do with them if you actually want to have a bath?)

In a historic city building, space is at a premium, and the basement gym and spa are nothing if not compact. But everything has been considered, and in the spa a circular space with a tinkling central pool and walls muralled with garden scenes (a nod to Moorish history, perhaps) is ringed with arched doors leading into a hammam, a dry sauna, an ice cascade, a Jacuzzi and more. I asked for advice, and a delightful beautician took one look at the bags under my eyes and prescribed a compression eye mask as part of a lymphatic massage; I was very, very happy for the next hour.

At a glance:

Rooms: 84 rooms, 27 suites
Good for: Sunsets, easy atmosphere, a great location
Not so good for: Minimalists, book lovers
FYI: Pet-friendly – lots of smart dogs around
Rates: Double from €435
Address: Calle de Velázquez 62, 28001 Madrid
Website; Directions

Jan Dalley stayed as a guest of Bless Hotel

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