Madrid Recommendations

[BgMstr4u]

I will be traveling to Spain -- Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Granada -- in July for two and a half weeks and wonder if anyone can help with recommendations. I have been doing some research, and know a couple of things: that the area in Madrid around the Chueca Metro station is the gay area, and that Angel is the escort web site. But I really know nothing else. So I ask for help!

 

1) Hotels. I would like one in Madrid -- 3 or 4 *** -- near both the gay area and the museum triangle (Prado/Reina Sofia/Thyssen Bornemysza). The one I have located that seems right by location is The Suecia. Any experience with this hotel? Other suggestions?

 

2) Clubs. I am not an all-night disco bunny (56 years old and of a somewhat retiring temperament) but I would like to find some night-time entertainment -- especially lads interested in guys my age.

 

3) Restaurants -- any gay ones? Ones people have actually eaten in.

 

4) After Madrid I am going on to Seville, Cordoba, Granada. Same questions as above.

 

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

[arthur]

Be very careful in the Chueca Metro area. When I was there a couple of years ago, some young guy started speaking with me outside the station. All I cared about was the opportunity to practice my Spanish, but he and his buddy subsequently followed me into the station and then on to the train. It was only through the luck of being on a very crowded train that I was able to shake them, but the experience was scary nevertheless.

ag

[Guest Aquario]

For restaurants, just walk in the Chueca district and you'll just find many of them.

 

Gay life in Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada is rather subdued. I know some gay-oriented places exist but I didn't even bother to look for them. Good luck!

[trilingual]

Go the European Escorts section and use the search feature to find information about Spain, Madrid, etc. There's quite a bit of stuff there. Or just search through the various pages of that board (there's more than one).

 

I don't have a hotel recommendation, but look for something in or near the Gran Via and you'll be within walking distance of Chueca. Your best bet for a bar is the Black & White, right on the Chueca square. It's where escorts meet potential clients. Although it's open very late, the meeting and matching up takes place earlier, starting around 11:30 p.m. and lasting until around 1:00. If the guys haven't met anyone by then, most of them go home to rest up for another day's work.

 

Check out Arrowmen as an escort agency. They have a website, it's mentioned in some of the other threads. Good selection!

 

You'll have a fabulous time; Madrid is a truly great city in every aspect: art, men, food, sights, you name it!

[trilingual]

P.S. Go to http://www.mensual.com and cruise around for the Guide (Guia) to all of Spain. Or buy a current copy at any newstand in Chueca for listings everywhere else in Spain. Also invest in a Spartacus; its information on Spain is quite detailed and mostly up-to-date.

[BgMstr4u]

Thanks for these suggestions!

 

Any hotel experiences to share? Did you use the hotels' own websites for booking or did you use one of the web discounters -- Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Discount25.com, CheapTickets, etc.? Any wisdom to share about them?

[Will]

You couldn't have come to a better place, as I´m in Seville at this very moment. In Madrid, I stay at the Suecia, which I highly recommend for all kinds of reasons. In Seville, I'm staying at the Melia Colon, and I recommend it just as heartily. The Suecia I contacted directly because I already knew it; the Colon I got through an Expedia deal and I think it's well worth it. I don't know anything about gay life in these places, as I'm not a club-goer. Furthermore, as my recent post in the Ask an Escort section makes clear, I don't even know how to respond when somebody tries to pick me up. However, I do know a thing or two about hotels, and I strongly recommend both of these. The Suecia, by the way, is the hotel that the Prado uses for its guests. That's enough assurance for me.