Hostal Nou Raval

The accommodation is cheap, and the location is okay for getting to the subway, marketplace, attractions, and other places. This part of Barcelona might not look or feel safe to everyone. Communication with the front desk was difficult. We checked in at 3pm, although the room should have been ready from 1pm, and it wasn't ready. They just told us to wait, with no apology. There were no towels, the AC didn't work, and the shower wasn't clean enough to use. For some reason the main door was locked, so we had to wait for someone to let us in.

It felt like a shelter. The place was cheap compared with others, but staying more than 6-7h is brave. We found one last room at a low price with a discount and only wanted somewhere in the city to sleep for 6h before our early flight. Our check-in was at 13.00, but we arrived at 15:00 and the room still wasn't ready. The manager didn't apologize, though he seemed touched when we said we were tired. There were no towels, no toilet paper when we checked in, and the AC wasn't working. The shower looked disgusting, so we managed not to shower and survived until our flight. The busy street felt scary, and the wood windows wouldn't close. The whole stay smelled bad, and we got stuck outside twice because the manager locked the main door and we had to wait for someone to open it. The place didn't make us feel safe.

The worst part was how unsafe the place made us feel. A man managing the front yelled at me and my companions because we didn't speak Spanish, Catalan, or French. He later followed us into nearby convenience stores and spoke to the clerks, who then confronted us too. We left the next day, though finding somewhere at such short notice was difficult. Before that, our room had been downgraded for no explained reason and had no private shower. Luckily, someone in our larger group had a room with one, so we used theirs. The shower was dangerously slippery even with shower shoes. I and nearly everyone with me slipped and fell. Then the AC dripped onto our luggage all day and into the night, soaking our things. If I could, I'd give this zero stars. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, not even my worst enemy.

We stayed because we were afraid the receptionist might come into our room during the night. The hallway reeked of dirty laundry, and the whole experience was awful. Our room was dirty, and the bed had stains. When we pointed that out, the man at reception got aggressive and said we weren't telling the truth. He claimed he'd been cleaning all day. Then he said we had to pay him to leave. We ended up not leaving, but I wish we had never gone there. The worst hostel ever. Don't go.