THE FACTS ABOUT CASA DE MADRID

Spain Madrid

Understatement is key at the front door of Casa de Madrid, where a small metal plaque next to the doorbell simply announces 'CdM'. Inside, however, you are immediately involved in what owner Marta Medina, an aristocrat art historian and curator, describes as an expression of her eclectic personality. The 18th-century mansion, a stone-throw from the Teatro Real opera house, is an endlessly fascinating mélange of family heirlooms - a harpsichord stands proudly in the lounge, and busts abound - and items that Medina has brought back from her travels. Each of the seven eye-poppingly characterful bedrooms has its own theme: the Indian Room, for example, with its sumptuous, colonial-style furniture, and the Greek Room, with its Aegean beach-scene fresco running the length of one wall. The eclecticism could have been overwhelming, but somehow it hangs together. And, despite having all the trappings of a showpiece palace hotel, Casa de Madrid manages to remain homely: appropriately since Medina still lives there. ROOM TO BOOK The Blue Room, for its sleigh bed and swan bedposts CONTACT Calle Arrieta 2 (00 34 91 559 5791; fax: 540 1100; www.casademadrid.com). COST Doubles from €252 B&B