Hostal Atienzar

Pascal, with all his energy and charm, is Albacete’s Basil Fawlty. There’s also a wildly awkward door and key setup: you leave your key behind, then have to be buzzed in through the lower door when you get back. It does make the place secure and keeps out people who shouldn’t be there. The rooms are spotless, and so is the shared bathroom for rooms that use one. The beds are comfortable, and the staff are kind and helpful. We couldn’t speak Spanish, but Google Translate worked brilliantly as a bridge between us. For a one-star place, we got five-star service, and there’s not much to complain about at that rating. It’s a one-star establishment, and absolutely brilliant for what it is. If you need someone to fluff your duvet or a choice of top-quality champagne, go to a five-star hotel. Otherwise, enjoy this clean, comfortable, well-priced place in a great location.

The owner is lovely and really hands-on, making sure everyone is comfortable. It’s the best place to stay, and I’d recommend it anytime.

The bathroom was dirty, with hair everywhere and half-used toilet paper. When we mentioned the cat pee smell in the room, the owner just handed us air freshener. We also had to wait 30 minutes for the key because he was too busy on his phone. Paying by card costs an extra 2 euros. For this price, you can find much better places in Albacete, like hotel altozano.

This is a backpacker-style hostel, with none of the food, restaurant or cafe options I found at the other "Hostal" places we used. Parking was in a public underground garage, a five-minute drive away, and overnight vehicles had to be out by 7 AM. That meant a long walk at 6 AM. No thanks.