PLANNING -
We've booked our flights through EasyJet for the bargain price of £49 each. We fly out of Edinburgh so it's a 2 hour journey to the airport. The saving is amazing though, thanks to the Scottish schools having a different half term.
Parking is a doddle at Edinburgh, with the Secure Airparks facility located all of 3 minutes by bus from the terminal and charging a hefty £12.60 for our 3 night trip! That's total price NOT per day!
Accommodation is so plentiful in Madrid that there is something for every budget. We've decided to return to the same apartments we used in October-
http://www.wootravelling.com/idioma/en/view/atocha_107_homtels/1/descripcion.html#ad-image-0
These apartments are close to the station so it's easy to transfer on the local Cercianas train from Terminal 4 (at 2.60 euros) to Atocha then it's a 5 minute walk to the apartments. We've booked a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom place for under £100 a night. The locality is very near the Retiro Park, many of the biggest museums and galleries and is surrounded by hundreds of delightful local tapas bars. At 20 minutes walk from the Plaza Major and Puerta del Sol it's central enough without being in the main tourist places.