Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid

The Ritz opened in 1910 at the instigation of Alfonso XIII, who had been embarrassed by the lack of a hotel in Madrid fit for his wedding guests. It spent the following century as the city's most formal address before closing in 2018 for a restoration that stripped back decades of alterations and ran to four years and a reported two hundred million euros.

What reopened under Mandarin Oriental is recognisably the same building. The Belle Epoque facade, the oval Palm Court under its restored stained-glass dome, and the plasterwork were all conserved, while room counts were reduced to give better proportions and modern bathrooms. The result is less museum-piece than the old Ritz and considerably more comfortable.

The position is hard to beat: the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía are all within a few minutes' walk, and the Retiro gardens begin at the end of the street. There is a proper spa in the basement, several restaurants including a Spanish fine-dining room, and a garden terrace that functions as one of the city's better places to spend an evening.