By Nadia Hosni
Shot by all the great fashion photographers and having graced the covers of multiple international magazines, Madrid native Eugenia Silva’s modeling career has taken her around the world a few times over. She’s been the ambassador for high-profile brands like Armani and Chopard, but her passions extend beyond the world of fashion: Eugenia dedicates much of her free time to charities like World Vision and Doctor’s Without Borders. And even though she has a chic place in New York and a farmhouse in Formentera, Spain (an island off Ibiza, where she breeds pigs and sheep, and rides horses), Madrid is still the place closest to Eugenia’s heart.
REST
Hotel Casa De Madrid
Stay in this charming 18th-century hotel decked out in palace-style decor. While you’re there, make sure to visit La Latina. Just a five-minute walk from the hotel, Eugenia says it’s “a fun area in the old town where young people hang out!”
Arrieta, 2
Madrid
+34 91.559.5791
Hotel Santo Mauro
Situated in a beautiful yet quiet area of the city among the locals, Eugenia says “it’s very private, enchanting, and luxurious, with a pretty garden.”
Zurbano, 36
28010, Madrid
+34 91.319.6900
EAT
El Lando
For typical Spanish fare, this place is the go-to spot for jamón serrano (similar to prosciutto), jamón iberico (a type of cured ham only produced in Spain), and the restaurant’s infamous huevos rotos (eggs with potatoes). “It’s delicious, but you need to go out after since it’s so heavy!”
Plaza Gabriel Miró 8
La Latina, Madrid
+34 91.366.7681
El Bocaito
A favorite of Pedro Almodóvar, Viggo Mortensen, and Gael García Bernal, Eugenia counts El Bocaito as one of her top picks too. Located in Chueca, “It’s a fun and really madrileño (locals) place, with great tapas and very good fish. The food is really good!”
Libertad 4-6
28004 Madrid
+34 91.532.1219
CULTURE FIX
Stroll down Calles Orfila and Monte Esquinza for some cultural eye candy; the galleries of this area boast a great selection of new and upcoming artists. “Make sure to visit the new Caixa Forum on Paseo Del Prado—the new building from Herzog & de Meuron (it’s really close to the Prado Museum), and right next door is Patrick Blanc’s vertical garden.”
Museo Nacional del Prado
Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 23
Madrid 28014
+34 91.330.2800
SHOPPING
If you find yourself walking down Calle Fuencarral, you’ll be sure to burn a hole in your pocket. “I never pass by Korres without getting something. It’s an organic brand made in Greece with great body soaps and body lotions. On Calle Barco is Corachan Y Delgado—the best vintage store in Madrid. On Sundays I always visit El Rastro, the flea market near La Latina, but you have to be very careful with your handbags and wallets—there are a lot of pickpockets around.”
Korres
Cl/Fuencarral, 64
28004 Madrid
Corachan Y Delgado
C/ Barco 42
28004 Madrid
+34 91.523.0364?
El Rastro
Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda del Toledo (just south of La Latina metro station)
Every Sunday and public holiday, 9 a.m to 3 p.m.
NIGHTLIFE
Del Diego
Visit DD for the city’s best dry martini and gin fizz. “It’s the best cocktail bar in town, and probably in the world! It’s always packed!”
C/ de la Reina 12
28004 Madrid, Spain
+34 91.523.3106
Chicote
“Chicote is fun to go and have the last drink of the night. Fun, fun place with very edgy people.”
Gran Vía 12
Madrid
+34 91.532.6737
HANG
Eugenia says you must check out two of her favorite places before your vacay is over: “Delic, a pretty café in the Plaza de la Paja with a terrace and the best mojitos in town—it’s also great for breakfast or a light lunch. The other place is El Viajero, a fun Argentine restaurant with really good food that gets very, very crowded.”
Delic
Costanilla de san Andres, 14
Centro, La Latina
+34 91.364.5450
El Viajero
Plaza Cebada 11
28005 Madrid
+34 91.366.9064
