Inside VP Plaza España Design: Art, Service and a Tapas Dinner to Remember

I recently stayed at the hotel in Madrid, and the first thing that hits you is the scale. It sits directly on Plaza de España, close to Gran Vía and only a short walk from the Royal Palace, but once you step inside, the hotel creates its own world.

What made the stay especially memorable was the team. Sales Manager Romina could not have been any nicer. She was warm, thoughtful and completely present with our group. A beautiful hotel is only as good as the people behind it, and Romina made everyone feel genuinely looked after.

A Madrid Hotel Built Around Art

Architect Fermín Vázquez designed VP Plaza España as an expression of contemporary architecture, interiors and art. The 214-room hotel holds close to 300 original works by more than a dozen artists, displayed throughout the rooms, corridors and public spaces. This is not a hotel that placed a few large canvases in the lobby and called itself an art hotel. The collection is everywhere.

The centerpiece is The Waterfall by Spanish artist and engineer Pere Gifre. The kinetic sculpture falls more than 25 meters through the atrium before ending in an enormous metallic splash. It looks like liquid frozen in midair. The seasonal rooftop pool sits above it with a glass floor, while the walkway at Ginkgo offers another perspective at night.

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There are also works by artists including Darío Urzay and Nacho Zubelzu throughout the property. The artwork is insane, and I mean that in the best possible way. Everywhere you turn, there is something that makes you stop.

The Hotel Itself

The location makes this an easy base for Madrid. The rooms are spacious by city standards, many with wide views, and the hotel also includes VP Biloba Spa, a 24-hour gym, Botania Restaurant and Ginkgo Restaurant & Sky Bar on the rooftop.

The hotel was among the first in Spain to receive LEED Gold certification, an important detail for travelers who care about sustainability without wanting to sacrifice comfort or design. Breakfast is served in an exclusive dining room with views over Plaza de España, offering a full buffet and the option to arrange breakfast in your room. It is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m., and from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. on weekends and public holidays; guests are asked to reserve on arrival and follow the smart-casual dress code.

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Madrid Runs on a Later Clock Than You Do

Madrid is the European capital Spaniards largely kept for themselves while everyone else flew to Barcelona, and it shows in how the city is organised. Three of the great museums of Europe stand within a walk of one another along a single boulevard. The kitchens fill long after northern Europe has gone to bed. The middle of the afternoon belongs to lunch and to nothing else. None of that is decorative. It changes the arithmetic of a day here, and the travellers who leave disappointed are almost always the ones who ran a northern European schedule against a Spanish one and concluded the city was closed. It was not closed. It was two hours behind them all week.

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Know Before You Go

• Fly into Madrid Barajas, code MAD. The official taxi fare is a flat 33 euro anywhere inside the M30 ring road, covering up to four passengers with no luggage or night surcharge, and takes twenty to thirty minutes. The Airport Express bus is 5 euro and twenty five to forty minutes to Atocha or Cibeles. The metro is 4.50 to 6.00 euro including the airport supplement, thirty to forty minutes, usually with a connection.
• Trip length three nights. Two loses the day trip, and Toledo at thirty four minutes from Atocha is the strongest one in Spain.
• Best months May, then mid September to mid October. May averages a high of 24C, September 28C and October 21C. January, at 11C, is the coldest month.
• The summer figure July averages a high of 33C and August 33C, and 40C is reached regularly. The air is dry enough that it is more tolerable than a coastal city at the same reading, but it is genuine heat and it dictates the shape of the day.
• August closures, with numbers roughly a third of the city's bars and restaurants close for at least part of August, but only around ten percent in the visitor heavy centre. Residential Chamberi and Salamanca empty out. Malasana, Chueca and La Latina stay busy.
• Entry no visa for a tourist stay, ninety days in any hundred and eighty across the Schengen area, and a passport valid three months beyond departure at minimum, six recommended. The Entry Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and takes a facial image and fingerprints at the first crossing instead of stamping the passport. ETIAS is not in operation and nothing is being collected.
• Money the euro, trading a little above the dollar. Cards are near universal, cash is still useful in the older tabernas, and tipping is light.
• The Prado trap free admission runs Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 20:00 and on Sundays and holidays from 17:00 to 19:00, but the queue forms forty five to ninety minutes before the window opens, which eats most of the two hours. The museum's own ticket is 15 euro and entry now runs in fifteen minute sequences.
• Buy direct the reseller version of that ticket at 18 euro is the identical timed slot, and there is no genuine fast track product above it. The three euro premium buys free cancellation up to a day ahead and nothing else. Prado hours are 10:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 19:00 on Sundays and holidays.
• Booking windows the Prado wants twenty four to forty eight hours of notice for weekends and for May to September; most weekdays a walk up still works. On rail, Iryo opens seats about ninety days ahead and Renfe around sixty.
• Rail out of Atocha Toledo is thirty four minutes away with roughly hourly departures, and Seville Santa Justa is two and a half hours nonstop on AVE with fifteen to twenty high speed departures a day, plus Iryo and Ouigo on the same route.
• What to pack Bring comfortable walking shoes, weather-ready layers, sun protection, and one polished outfit; adjust for the season and activities in this guide.

Some hotels use art as decoration. VP Plaza España Design makes it part of the experience.

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A Tapas Dinner to Remember

One of the best parts of our stay was a tapas dinner with my group at Ginkgo. It could not have been any better. The menu was generous, social and exactly right for a group dinner.

We started with “Gilda” anchovy skewers, cured Manchego cheese, Iberian ham with tomato and oregano breadsticks, Olivier salad and classic salmorejo. Then came Spanish potato omelette with padrón peppers, pork belly with paprika mashed potatoes, Galician-style octopus, a small calamari sandwich with lime aioli and oxtail brioche with gravy.

My favorite was the Iberian ham croqueta. Croquetas may sound simple, but a great one is not. The outside needs to be crisp, the center almost impossibly creamy and the ham present without overpowering everything else. This one was exactly what I wanted it to be.

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Dessert brought French brioche toast and cheesecake with red berries. More than any individual dish, I loved the rhythm of the meal. It gave everyone time to talk, try everything and enjoy Madrid the way it should be enjoyed: together and without rushing.

My Take

Although it was only a quick one-night stay, I will definitely be back. The views from my room over central Madrid were a real part of the experience. VP Plaza España Design is a strong choice for travelers who want a central Madrid hotel with personality. It works especially well for couples, friends and groups who appreciate contemporary art, spacious rooms, rooftop energy and having several dining and wellness options under one roof.

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I would also consider it for corporate groups and private gatherings. The hotel has more than 1,400 square meters of meeting space, but just as importantly, it has the kind of team that can make a group feel personal. My time with Romina reinforced that.

The best hotels leave you with more than a list of amenities. I left remembering the metallic waterfall, the artwork in every direction, a table full of tapas and the warmth of the people who hosted us. Madrid has no shortage of luxury hotels, but this one has a point of view.

If you are planning Madrid and want help selecting the right hotel, room category and experiences, contact JustKeeps Travel. I can help determine whether VP Plaza España Design is the right fit and build the rest of the stay around the way you actually like to travel.

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