BYPILLOW The Citadel

The neighborhood was decent, with busy restaurants and the central palace within walking distance, but there’s major construction right next door. The desk staff were very nice, and the place was clean, but it felt nothing like the hotel we expected. You enter from the street through a run-down entrance, take a small, dirty elevator and arrive at a tiny check-in desk. The whole place is bare bones, with no frills, and the bed felt like one from a hostel. It has more of a hostel feel than a hotel, so I don’t understand how it’s classified as one. For the price, there are plenty of better, nicer options. I wouldn’t recommend it.

We booked mainly for the very central location, which makes it easy to get around Madrid. For a one-star place, I thought the price might include a little more. The room was extremely small, though it had the essentials. It was also very bright, and you could hear conversations from other rooms and people on the stairs, so you’d need to sleep soundly. Around 3 AM, give or take, the garbage bins are emptied outside the window. It was extremely loud in our room and woke us every time, even with the windows closed. I gave it two stars mostly because the service was very poor. We forgot something in the room, and they wouldn’t make any concession to help us get it back, even though we offered to cover the full cost. Based on that, I can only advise against booking, since I worry other problems would be handled the same way.

A huge room, a nice bed and great staff made this place surprisingly comfortable for its category. They even supplied a kettle, coffee and biscuits. We did hear a bit more noise from upstairs and the hallway than expected, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. The location is great for visiting the sights in the center, and it’s good value. I’d stay here again.

We were a group of 15 and booked four rooms for two nights. Everything was clean and lovely, it was easy to get to, and our room was cleaned during the stay. Had a very pleasant time, can’t fault it.