The Tryp Gran Via Hotel is housed in a 9-storey, 1920s corner building, with wrought iron balconies, pretty cornicing and shops at ground level. The spacious marble lobby has two elegant seating areas. There’s also a bright, open-plan, first floor communal area, incorporating lounge, bar and breakfast room. The 175 guestrooms are decorated in predominantly blue tones, which create a soothing ambience and contrast well with the patterned bedspreads and curtains. All are clean and well maintained, as are the functional en suite bathrooms. The hotel also offers a Continental style buffet every morning in its welcoming breakfast room. There’s also a café/bar, celebrated for being the place where Ernest Hemingway wrote his account of the Spanish Civil war in 1936.