Location. The modern Vincci Soma is a design hotel located opposite Goya Metro station in Madrid's upmarket Salamanca district, one kilometre from Retiro Park and the chic shops of Calle Serrano, and 12 kilometres from Madrid Barajas Airport.
Hotel Features. Five clocks displaying time zones for Madrid, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Sydney and New York set the scene of this cosmopolitan hotel. Guests can unwind in the peaceful hotel library, decorated in soothing tones with table lamps, thick rugs, plump cushions, deep sofas and armchairs, and modern photographic prints. A selection of books is available, and there are work desks and PCs with high speed Internet access, free for guests' use.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Vincci Soma restaurant has large picture windows overlooking Calle Goya. The menu is modern Mediterranean and changes regularly. Sample dishes include Seasonal Mushroom Risotto and Sea Bass with Haricot Bean Stew.

The complimentary small gym has cardiovascular and resistance machines, weights and a TV, as well as changing rooms and a sauna. Guests can hire EcoBikes (bicycles with electric motors) from the hotel for 25 EUR per day. One kilometre away, Madrid's leafy Retiro Park has a large boating lake, tracks for jogging, roller skating and cycling, and a sports centre with tennis courts and football pitches.

Guestrooms. The nine floor Vincci Soma features 170 air conditioned guestrooms, all of which feature Scandinavian style blond wood furnishings, wooden floors, and bright throws and rugs. All have plasma screen televisions with satellite channels, music systems for in room use only with CD players and free CD menus, minibars, and complimentary high speed Internet connections.

Expert Tip. Salamanca is Madrid's smartest neighbourhood, its broad avenues lined with expensive apartment blocks and upmarket restaurants. Those who love to shop should head to Calle Serrano, less than one kilometre from the hotel, where designer fashion boutiques and interior design shops entice perfectly groomed shoppers with serious spending power.