Review of Hotel Adler, by Jamie Dunford Wood

The inside of Hotel Adler in Madrid, is a masterpiece. The hallway in the boutique hotel is floored in black and white tiling, and what looks like expensive garden furniture, while candles seem to float in large Conran-esque glass jars. The lighting is Spanish chiaroscuro, subtle, concentrating the light into little pools and there's just a glimpse of a blood-red stairwell on the far wall which whets the appetite.

The facilities

Because the boutique hotel is small in size, staff is all the more attentive to their guests every need. The turn down service adds just the perfect touch of elegance and luxury to your evening. Reception is available 24 hours in case anything last minute comes up. There is a casual bar onsite where guests can go to enjoy good conversation over a cocktail or light snack. The restaurant is smart casual and serves up a flavourful mix of Mediterranean cuisine.

The rooms

The 45 rooms at this boutique hotel are arranged on four floors in an old 19th-century former bank building. The rooms are immediately inviting, and each feels as if it has had personal attention from the designer. Each room has a little lobby area with mirror panelled in-built wardrobes, while inside the tones are beige and brown, tobacco and cream, but with wall fabrics of different textures and hues.

The furniture is beautifully crafted classic reproduction in dark wood, upholstered in elegant modern fabrics, and the shutters outside the windows lend the rooms a cocoon-like effect, with un-swagged classic floor sweeping curtains, echoing, in some cases, soft drapes behind the bed. Ceilings are tall and corniced; doors are of the pediment persuasion, lending the rooms a classical feel.

Mixed in with the beiges and creams are the odd splashes of colour - a red armchair, an abstract modern painting or numbered print on the wall, all of which are unfailingly tasteful. Some rooms at the boutique hotel have simple marble fireplaces and all rooms are of a decent size, while the superiors are quite big, with large bathrooms featuring free standing baths and large double showers. The boutique hotel's corner rooms have walk-out, glassed conservatory balconies, with topiary sculptures on the balconies of the other rooms on the first three floors.