Livensa Living Studios Madrid Alcobendas

The rooms are relatively roomy, and there is a Metro station nearby. A mall with a supermarket is about a 20 minute walk away, though the hotel is in the Madrid University area, not close to downtown Madrid. This is very basic dorm room accommodation. The kitchenette has a small fridge, a two burner hob, an oven, and a microwave, but no oven mitts or kettle. It only has a couple of plates, a few bits of cutlery, one pot, and a frying pan. The room was worn, with a stained couch and greasy marks on the walls. Maid service is every 4 days. The seating area beside reception was also very worn and stained.

All three mini-apartment rooms were dirty, with full bins and hairs on the bed. For £300 for one night, we expected them to be as beautiful and clean inside as they looked outside. The room smelled of cooking, spices, and body fluids. I asked to move and was given a slightly better room, but we were too tired to inspect it before going for a walk around Alcobendas city. We got back late to sleep, and the next day saw that the shower was filthy. The kitchen area was messy, with grease and spice debris everywhere, and when we opened the curtains and blinds, the floor looked as if it had never been cleaned. The rooms were also dimly lit. I raised this with the receptionist, who said nothing. The Alcobendas council should inspect this hotel, as hotels in Spain are subject to regular inspections to make sure they are operating properly. I don't know how it has more than one star. This is a subpar hotel, and even one star is too much for such poor management.

The location and swimming pool were the main reasons we booked, and both were nice. The pool's opening hours were odd, though, since it closes during the warmest part of the day. This is an apartment hotel, not a standard hotel, so keep that in mind when booking. The room was well equipped, and having a small kitchen was nice. We had a few room issues: the shower head didn't work properly, and the window took a lot of force to close. We were told the metal expands in summer. There was only one lift in our section, and getting to and from the room took a long time. We also received just one key for two guests; when we asked for a second, we started having problems, and the keys often didn't work. The floor was dusty and had hair, including in the corners, so it hadn't been cleaned before we arrived. When we reported this, staff said we couldn't change rooms because ours was in "perfect condition." At 17:00, which was check-in time, we were told no cleaner was available. They also said no cleaner could come the next day. The solution was to give us a vacuum cleaner and expect us to clean it ourselves, which was the last thing I wanted after an eight-hour drive. We had an okay stay, but those issues kept us from warmly recommending the place or returning.

There was dust in the room, the floor was very dirty with hair and dust, and the bed sheets didn't look very clean. The place itself is comfortable and cool, with a good quality for the price, and it's well connected, with a metro station pretty close. The front desk people could be nicer, though, and they should pay more attention to cleaning.