So I have a really long layover in Spain next Tuesday. I’ll be landing at 7:10am on the 24th, and departing just after midnight. I plan to get a hotel of some sort just to have a place to take a shower, take a nap, and refresh. So I have a few questions:
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Are there any decent day hotels in the area? Like a Howard Johnson Express? (I found one HoJo express, but it’s 20 minutes away, and not a cheap cab ride). Anything closer? (Or, any Dopers in the vicinity who would let a traveler drop an overnight bag off for a few hours? The shower is optional, and just a nice-to-have.)
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What’s a decent restaurant near the airport to try? My funds are fairly limited, but I can’t see being in Spain and not trying out some authentic cuisine. It doesn’t need to be fancy - a homestyle type family restaurant kinda place would be perfect.
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Since I’ll be wandering around anyway, what are some things in the area I should see? I only wish I had more time - I’ve always wanted to go to Spain, and now I only have a few hours to do anything in. But after being cooped up on a plane, I’m sure I’ll welcome a chance to do some walking around.
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What’s the weather like in Spain right now? I plan on dressing for the flight in shorts and short sleeves. I’m imagining that should work for me in Madrid as well?
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Anything else I should know?
Thanks 
The metro there is really decent and goes to the airport and is very easy to use-- don’t limit yourself to the airport area, go on downtown. I have no idea about day hotels-- it doesn’t seem like a very Euro concept. Maybe there is some kind of American chain near the airport, however.
I’d pop downtown and do the Prado and Thyssen-Bornessima if you like museums and air conditioning. Otherwise jump off father west and just walk around Sol and Plaza Major and such. Get a cup of chocolate somewhere and have tapas for supper, or go by one of the Patatas Bravas places (there’s a chain that’s ok-- might just be called “Bravas” or soemthing). I’m sure you can stick your bag in an airport locker-- I know the ones at Brussels are still open so I’m sure they are in Madrid.
Ahhh airport lockers hadn’t even occured to me - it’s been so long since I’ve seen any that I completely forgot they might exist elsewhere.
Thanks for the tip!
For a quick tour of Madrid , hop onto an open-top bus. You get three separate routes for the one ticket ( approx €12 ) you can get on or off when you like and there is a multi-language recorded commentary via headphones. These run all day , up till midnight, and you can cram a lot of Madrid in a short time with this method.
I’m so thrilled - I just found out that Iberia Air offers a service called Madrid Amigo - which entitles me to transportation to a hotel, PLUS free day accomodations at said 4-star hotel. How cool is that? Once I’m showered, relaxed and ready to go again, I can hit up the open-top bus, which sounds like a great suggestion, so thanks!
(And yes, must have tapas.)