Joining the fast-growing throng of exciting openings in Spain’s capital of late, Villa Magna emerged and re-branded as the nation’s first Rosewood in 2021. This followed a thorough, well-timed makeover in 2020 by countryman Ramón de Aranaas, the architect behind such polished addresses as West Hollywood’s Pendry and Portofino’s Belmond Splendido Mare. Thanks to its location on the renowned Paseo de la Castellana, a tree-lined avenue of upscale boutiques in a neighborhood heavy with embassies, high-end art galleries, and banks, the 1972 modernist building has always been prestigious—it even replaced a palace, Anglada, no less. But now the building has a glow-up, with stylish brass and aluminium touches and two pools out front. There’s the signature Rosewood aesthetic throughout, all deliciously bold oversized Art Deco pendant lights; moody black-framed floor-to-ceiling windows and doors; a Gaudí-esque multi-colored stained-glass wall; marble, monochrome, muted neutrals.
There’s a cheekier side to its personality, too—glimpsed in its choice of statement artworks, from the giant and joy-inducing anthropomorphic black sculpture by Spanish artist Juan Díaz-Faes that greets you with a smile at reception to the mix of classic and doctored portraits: one marquess blowing bubble gum here, Queen Victoria using a selfie stick so subtly you have to look twice, there.
The overall plan is for it to have the personality and carefully constructed casualness of some Madrid sophisticate’s home, with no booking required and 24-hour dining available in the lounge, and local and jolly rather than stiff staff (‘Villa’ is another clue). Guests can take the fantasy to another level and stay in one of the hotel’s residential-in-style Houses—two of which are on the top floor and boast some of the largest terraces in Europe, complete with mesmerizing panoramic views. Book Anglada, the biggest, and you’ll have enough space to work, host, and relax: with your office, dining, living, and powder rooms, alongside the indoor and outdoor kitchens (with islands) and two bedrooms.
It’s still worth dragging yourself away from your new home if you can, however, if only to experience both Sense, A Rosewood Spa, one of Madrid’s most sought-after, specializing in ancient Spanish treatments hailing as far back as the ninth century, and the hotel’s flagship Amós Restaurant. Led by star chef Jesús Sánchez, who already has three Michelin stars, the artful tasting menu brings the magic of his first tiny yet celebrated venue back in his quiet northern Spanish village right to your table in the country’s capital. —Becky Lucas
