Hostal El Torero

It’s a dark place. The girl who checks you in is often busy making breakfast for the workers who clean the rooms. The rooms are sometimes clean, thanks to a lovely cleaning lady. When they realized I planned to stay for several months, they gave me a lot of trouble. One time, when the lady had a headache, I even had to look after an English couple myself. They would also take my food away from what they call the kitchen, where the same man and his children are always around.

The room was dirty when I arrived, with hair on the bed, and the air conditioning was dusty, always running, and not working properly. Even the front door wouldn’t open on the first try. I found the place uncomfortable and below what I expected. They need to improve cleaning and maintenance. It’s not suitable for children, and we won’t be back. Sorry.

Getting there was frustrating: each time we called, we were told a different arrival time, so we ended up waiting. The room had two beds with just a fitted sheet, and noise and light came through very easily. The kitchen was a little dirty, and there are four flights of stairs with no lift. The shower was good, with shower gel and shampoo. The location was very good.

The mattresses were so uncomfortable that I woke up feeling like I needed a physiotherapist. At night, you could hear people in the corridor, and every sound from the neighboring rooms came through the thin walls. The sheets and towels were dirty, and the lack of hygiene was obvious throughout the room and hotel. There was a horrible smell as soon as you entered, though you got used to it after a while. When we told reception, they seemed used to hearing it and barely reacted. Probably the shabbiest hotel in Alcalá, and not worth the price.