Penthouse. Old city Alicante

The staff were friendly, the hostel was clean and secure, and we felt it was worth every penny for the price. There was CCTV in the common area. It's basic, as you expect from a hostel, but the room was immaculate when we arrived. The memory foam beds were comfortable, the mattresses were spotless, the sheets smelled freshly laundered, and extra blankets were provided. The bathroom was much better than expected and had cleaning products. It could use a mop for after showering, but that's just my preference. The owners communicated clearly by email before our flight with the location, door, floor, and room details, then sent check-in information after we arrived. A staff member let us in at 3 and showed us the facilities, including which key opened each room. Everything was explained well. It was easy to find: go to the town hall square, look for the cafés near the mini shop, and the hostel is tucked into a clearly marked corner. The patio doors kept out some sound, but we expected noise on a weekend given the location. Our terrace opened onto the square. It was lovely to sit there in the evening, away from the city bustle but still able to enjoy the nightlife below. We can't wait to return in the spring. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a cheap stay in a beautiful city. One tip: Google Translate made communicating with the owners much easier when our Spanish wasn't great. We saw three rolls of toilet paper during our visit, though you can buy more at nearby mini marts for a few euros.

We ducked in for coffee and brandy because of the rain. A nice little place, and the staff were friendly.

This was basically a room in someone's apartment, with no real reception or office, just a table and chair in the kitchen. The shared bathroom wasn't clean or comfortable, and I didn't feel at ease showering there. The room door was flimsy enough that one shove might have broken it open, and the windows had no locks, so I felt unsafe. There was nowhere to put my clothes and things, no bureau, closet, or shelves. The balcony was only about six inches deep, with no view except the building ten feet away. The only bedding was low-quality sheets and a blanket, and mine had cigarette burns. The area was loud, and the room did nothing to block street sounds. All night, cars and people felt as if they were right in the room. The whole apartment smelled strongly of a cleaning product with a terrible scent. I wouldn't stay again or recommend it. I'd pay extra for an actual hostal. In short, it was just a room in an apartment, with no reception or office. The bathroom wasn't clean or comfortable, and I didn't feel comfortable showering. I felt unsafe because the door was flimsy and the windows didn't lock. There was nowhere to put my clothes and things. The bedding was poor quality, the room didn't block street noise, and the apartment had a strong, terrible-smelling cleaning product odor.

A couple of hours after we arrived, other guests knocked and said they had been given our room. We found out the system had booked us for the wrong day, even though we had received that day's instructions and been charged. Check-in had already been a problem because there was no reception. I'm pretty sure that's illegal. There were no passport checks, so anyone could be there. We called right away to sort things out, but the woman didn't speak English or French, which made it difficult. Instead of calmly discussing it, she shouted down the phone and texted that she was reporting us to the police. It was the most insane behavior, and the worst experience of our entire trip in Spain.