Residencia Universitaria Tagaste

The cleaning lady Isa deserves a mention: she’s lovely and leaves the room spotless, with that clean smell afterward. Some of the other cleaners don’t do as good a job. But the rest of this place is a mess, and they’re planning to raise the price next year. Why? Am I studying in Madrid now? The location isn’t great for university either, about a 25-minute walk. For the money, I think you can find better. Laundry costs €2.50 for the washer and €2 for the dryer, which used to be free, and there’s never room to hang things up. I’ve had to pay for the dryer. Other residences include laundry in the monthly fee, sometimes for less overall. The rooms have awful sagging mattresses and ancient, disgusting chairs that hurt your back. When you leave a window open for a while, there can be a feces smell, and the bathrooms smell of sewage, so the odor hangs around in your room all day. Bugs keep appearing in the bathroom, more of them every morning. The shower heads look so revolting you’d think they could give you cancer just by looking at them, and the toilet seems made for a dwarf. The ceilings are falling apart, and there have already been floods this year. Some classmates had to stay in hotels far out in the boonies because of it. Food is another problem. Women get one steak instead of two, and if you ask for more they look at you like you’ve committed a crime. Then loads of leftovers get served again at later meals until they go bad. Some dishes, like the breaded ham and cheese cutlets, seem like they’ll give you cancer. Everything is incredibly salty, as if the cooks have low blood pressure, and every meal is drenched in oil. It’s disgusting. Breakfast doesn’t include any protein either.

The walls are the one thing I’d change, they’re really thin. Otherwise, it’s a pretty good residence: the rooms are comfortable even if a few are a bit small, the food is decent, and people get along well.

The staff, including Elisa, were always there when we needed them. The foosball table is a great addition, probably the best recent improvement. Over my two years here, I’ve found it easy to feel comfortable, have fun, and make friends while still keeping up with my studies. I won’t forget those years.

My son has felt very comfortable here, and we’ll consider Tagaste León again when he returns from his Erasmus exchange. For his university stay, this was the best choice I could have made. The rooms are well equipped, and the common spaces are roomy and well looked after. There are study rooms and a gym, plus a varied menu every day of the week, with options except at Sunday dinner. Reception is staffed around the clock, too.