An Urban Oasis
Madrid
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Bomec
Contact:
- 915311615
- visit website
Location:
- Calle San Joaquín, 8
Description:
A stylish Asian-inspired tea house, Bomec is an ocean of calm in the afternoons. The place is full of dark wood furniture and bamboo, water fountains, and a large golden Buddha head. The staff keep their distance but are quite professional. As the main attraction, the tea menu is extensive with leaves from China, India, and Japan, and the tarts are delicious.
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Medina Mayrit
Contact:
- +34 90 233 3334
- visit website
Location:
- Calle Atocha, 14
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Map
Description:
Inspired by the city's Muslim, Jewish and Christian heritage, Medina Mayrit has conjured up an oasis of relaxation in a beautiful Western 'Hammam' with adjoining restaurant that regularly features belly dancing. The underground Arab bath complex consists of a warm pool, hot pool, cold pool, steam room, massage rooms, and relaxation room. The different pools are shallow and picturesque. Then the flickering candles and Eastern music set the mood for romance or relaxation, or both. The relaxation room offers sweet mint tea on tap. There the stone benches encourage contemplation of the gurgling fountain.
The focus here is on the spa experience. Unlike a traditional Middle Eastern Hammam, you won't be scrubbed clean by attendants. The baths are co-ed and guests are required to wear bathing suits at all times. The Arab bath sessions last one and a half hours plus changing time. There are lockers where you can store your things.
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Jardines del Campo del Moro
Contact:
- +34 91 588 2900 (Tourism Office)
Location:
- Virgen del Puerto, s/n
- Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto
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Map
Description:
These extremely beautiful gardens slope westwards from the Royal Palace towards the River Manzanares. Named after a medieval Arab chieftain who attempted a vain siege of the fortress that occupied the spot where the palace now stands, the park boasts a well-tended profusion of lawns, trees, and flowers. The park also has two magnificent fountains: the 17th-century Triton, originally located in the Aranjuez Palace gardens, and the Las Conchas, built by Ventura Rodríguez a century later. (Incidentally, the still signposted Museo de Carruajes, or Carriage Museum, tucked away in a corner of the grounds, has been closed for many years.) You can only enter the park from the lower side beside the Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto (which involves a longish roundabout walk via Cuesta de la Vega, if you are visiting the Royal Palace first).
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Isla del Tesoro
Contact:
- 91-593-14-40
Location:
- Calle Manuela Malasaña 3
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Map
Description:
A vegan's delight on Madrid's modestly expanding green scene, "Treasure Island" has been a mainstay of bohemian Malasaña for quite a while. Universal vegetarian dishes are imaginatively prepared, and the restaurant, surprisingly, does not frown on the increasingly ostracized smoker client. The adventurous menu of the day regularly changes its choice from country to country, and the Japanese tray of specialties is particularly inventive. Try the buen rollito, which consists of pasta stuffed with fruit, cheese, fresh spinach, and nuts or the ever-popular main salad buffet.
