Rosewood Villa Magna review: Spanish splendour in Madrid

Like the hotel more generally, dining in Las Brasas is an experience of exceptional comfort and quality. Sofas line the perimeter of the two spacious rooms facing onto the front terrace, with each table respectfully distant from the next. An open kitchen smoothly dispatches a brasserie-style menu in the evenings, from which I ordered grilled bluefin tuna with Jerusalem artichoke cream and red wine jus, followed by the homemade “tart of the day”, which happened to be apple. Both were utterly delicious.

Amós is the hotel’s signature restaurant

Rosewood Hotels Resorts

The hotel’s signature restaurant, Amós, is where you can try the celebrated cuisine of Michelin-starred chef Jesus Sanchez, who hails from northern Spain. Despite its “fine dining” tag, the atmosphere felt just as relaxed as anywhere in the hotel, even if the décor was a touch more elaborate. Marble, oak and antique furnishings root you in upscale Madrid, while photographs taken by the chef impart the unique oceanic accents of Sanchez’s homeland commune, Cantabria. 

The flavours of that region are best sampled with the ten-course tasting menu, so don’t visit when you’re short on time. The dishes frequently change, but seafood is a mainstay, particularly the intense marinated anchovies – an unmissable Cantabrian speciality. But the star of the show when I visited was undoubtedly the hake with its pil pil, algae and codium air. I was told to expect an evocative collaboration of the Catabrian Sea and Madrid at Amós, and this dish majestically fulfilled that promise. 

Madrid is an after-hours city with world-class nightlife, but you don’t need to leave Villa Magna if you crave some of that energy. Tarde.O is the hotel’s newest bar, which from Thursday to Saturday is open until 2am with tapas, cocktails, well-curated music and a covered, elaborately furnished terrace. The bar’s bespoke negroni selection is particularly dreamy, especially the Salamanca (gin, Rinomato, vermouth and Madroño liqueur).

Relax at the SSense wellness spa

Rosewood Hotels Resorts

SSense Spa

It would be a crime to stay at Villa Magna and not book an appointment at the in-house wellness spa, SSense. It’s open all day, but intentionally limits use to a very small number of guests at a time. Only once did I find myself sharing the infinity jacuzzi, hammam, steam room and sauna with another person, which made it a deeply tranquil experience both times I visited. 

My 60-minute massage took that tranquillity to a whole new level. I am no stranger to a massage, but rarely have I had one quite as personalised and in surroundings that felt so attuned to mind and body. To say I felt rejuvenated after my treatment would be a grave understatement.

Flor y Nata patisserie and café

Rosewood Hotels Resorts

The verdict

All luxury hotels have to work extremely hard just to call themselves that, such are the unimaginably high standards expected from them by guests and inspectors alike. So in a city like Madrid, where there’s no shortage of five-star stays, the subtle points of difference become all the more important.

Villa Magna stands out not just for the luxury of its facilities and elite service, but also because of the warmth with which it presents itself to its guests. So comfortable and relaxed is the mood everywhere within Villa Magna that it’s easy to forget you’re in a hotel at all – and that’s perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay. 

Rosewood Villa Magna, Paseo de la Castellana 22, 28046 Madrid, Spain; rosewoodhotels.com

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/travel/958340/rosewood-villa-magna-hotel-review-madrid-spain