We live and work in Madrid. We spend our lives wandering the streets, and everything we find of interest gets jotted down here – it’s as simple as that! These are the bars, restaurants, barrios, streets, parks, plays, clubs, hotels and shops that we’d take our friends to if they were visiting for a while. The places you might skip over, or more likely, never find in the guides. With any luck you’ll be inspired to check out some of our recommendations next time you’re in town.

And please, if you’ve got a secret of your own that you’d like to contribute, send us a tip!

About Us

Notes from Madrid comes from the same team that brings you Notes from Spain and Notes in Spanish: Ben Curtis, is a Brit who’s been in the city since 1998, and has worked as a travel writer and broadcaster for the BBC, Lonely Planet, and Fodors.

His wife, Marina Diez, is an original Madrileña, born and brought up in this vibrant city, where she worked for an I.T. company before leaving to work full time on Notes in Spanish, Notes from Spain, and Notes from Madrid. Without her inside knowledge of Madrid, and her skills at cutting through Spanish admin. and paperwork, none of this would exist!

The Editor

Katie Goldstein is an East Coast native who teaches English by day and writes about her beloved Madrid by night. Check out her blog, España Profunda, on the city and what lies beyond.

The Writers

Julie Espinosa is a freelance writer based in Madrid, hailing from the US state of Maryland. She is fluent in Spanish, so-so in French, and just started studying Basque. An avid traveler and vintage scooter enthusiast, Espinosa is on a quest to collect photographs on the road of as many unique scooters as she can.

Faye Davies is a writer (primarily of fiction). She has lived all over the world, but has been charmed enough by Madrid to want to settle down here, and can be found gracing the city pavements until the early hours of most mornings. She has no cats.

Niels Klok is a Dutchman and has been living in Madrid for six months. He is currently employed as a consultant at an international recruitment company. He holds an MA in English, and worked at an NGO in Athens, Greece, before deciding to explore the Western part of the Mediterranean.

Amy Menchhofer is an American who, after falling under the spell of Spain and of a Spaniard, has lived in Madrid off and on for 3 years. Although a civil engineer by profession, she was born to two English teachers making it only a matter of time until the words came pouring out. When not writing about life in Madrid, she can be found shopping, reading, working out, or learning French.

Richard Morley is basically a lazy person who has been lucky enough to find good paying work that requires very little effort. This has enabled him to see much of the world at someone else’s expense. He has now settled in Spain because he wants to do even less.