Hotel Unico Madrid

By now the idea that Barcelona is the fun one and Madrid is the serious one is simply a long-dead stereotype. But there is something to be said for the way that Madrid’s gems often lie hidden beneath a stately and sober exterior. Hotel Unico is a case in point: behind an elegant 19th-century facade in the city’s swanky Salamanca district is a 44-room boutique hotel that serves up contemporary style with a generous side of sophistication.

And while it’s perhaps a bit more grown up than the average boutique hotel, its design references reaching back a half-century or more, the Unico is as up-to-date as anything in Spain. While it’s not exactly a traditional luxury hotel, it’s not short on luxuries — there’s round-the-clock room service, a pillow menu for picky sleepers, and plenty of modern gadgetry.

The restaurant is much more than an afterthought; the chef Ramón Freixa is locally well-regarded, serving an innovative Mediterranean cuisine in a dining room that’s anything but minimalist. And perhaps most surprising is the spa, which goes well beyond what you’d expect from such a small hotel — a welcome indulgence after a day spent in Madrid’s museum quarter, which is a stone’s throw away.

The Ramón Freixa restaurant is closed Sunday & Monday.