madrid airport accommodation

[Deborah]

I will arrive in Madrid late at night and am looking to stay in a hotel relatively close to the airport for one night. The next day I plan to catch the Alsa bus from the airport to Leon. Can anyone recommend accommodation reasonably close to the airport? Clean, comfortable bed, possibly breakfast included and not horrendously expensive are really the only criteria. Thanks, Debbie

[jakubisko]

Fortunately I have the same way in front of me. Can anyone give me a hint please? Thank you, Jakub.

Hope Deb successfully finished her camino.

[Precious1]

I would like to share my experience spending the night at the Madrid airport on June 11, 2011. After finished the pilgrimage from Sarria, I took a plane from Santiago and arrived in Madrid at 8:00pm where my flight to the States would be at 9:300am the next morning. I knew ahead of time I would plan to sleep at the airport rather than fork out inflated prices for a bed. Anything had to be more comfortable than flying over night across the pond where gotten at the best 3hours sleep coming over.

The airport was pretty much deserted by 9:30 pm save for security and maintenance. I found a row of semi-softly padded chairs and took of my trekking boots. One of the luxuries I had brought on the pilgrimage is a small down pillow as for me the pillow determines the quality of the sleep. I tugged out the pillow from its mesh bag and unfolded my poncho from its draw string bag and stretched out pulling the poncho over my face so that I was covered from head to foot in a little cocoon of privacy. Thus I slept for some 7 hours like a babe and had plenty of time to freshen up and have a nice tea with milk before I checked in my flight at 8:00 am. for the States. If any feelings I had that night it was the sense of heaviness and loss to have to return "home" after such a terribly short time...not even 12 days really..of such an intense experience as of being transported into another world. I could have done another month or two of this and plan to arrange my life so that I can again soon, hopefully next spring when the weather could not be finer for trekking. I get the impression that the province of Lugo has got to be one of the most lush and verdant on the Camino and would have a mind to experience that magical pastoral world again at a lazy pace without the push so that one could stop to stare at
fields and hills and clouds at leisure, as well as linger to listen to the cacophony of bird songs and inhale the perfume of the wild flowers lazily.And when I do, I would not hesitate to sleep at the Madrid airport again, knowing I had already spent the money I saved on pulpo, local red wine served in a pitcher and bowls, traditional chorizo, and country home made queso panini shared with other pilgrims on the road with me.

[John Hussey]

Precious1:

Thanks for the informative post. I never considered the possibility of sleeping at the airport. I'll now certainly consider it as an option on my return rather than taking the overnight train from Santiago to Madrid. In most airports I have seen the chairs are so far apart you cannot lie down at all

[Bill]

Travel into the city from the airport isn't difficult or expensive. You can get to the Plaza de Colon and walk to many inexpensive accommodations. You can easily walk from Colon to the Plaza Santa Barbara where I can recommend Hostal Santa Barbara at Plaza Santa Barbara 4. See: hostalsantabarbaramadrid.com