Mirasierra

The stairs are worth knowing about first: there’s no elevator. But for €30 a night for one person, I was really happy with the place. The room was tidy, with two outlets, free soap and shampoo, a TV with free-to-air channels, and Wi-Fi. It got cold at night in April, but the heating was on and there were extra blankets. The shower worked and had plenty of hot water, with okay pressure. I wasn’t expecting a powerful blast at a two-star hotel. There’s a lovely mountain view where you can watch the sunrise, and local walking and hiking trails start not far away. Getting there by bus is easy, as it’s close to the stop on the route from Plaza de Castilla. I did find two things confusing: a note in the room about check-out would help, since I forgot the procedure, and the front door sign should show where the restaurant is. It’s right behind the entrance, across the street when you turn around, but I had to ask a local to find it. I had a really nice stay, and it’s a good rural Madrid escape for a night or weekend.

A simple hotel, spotless throughout. It came in handy when overnight prices in Madrid suddenly shot up to ridiculous levels. The value for the price and service is among the best.

Fine for an overnight stay, though there’s no elevator.

A handy little stop in a pretty village on the way to the Bilbao ferry port.