Carretas Apartments

Nancy, the room manager, had our room ready before check-in time. The sheets and blankets were clean, and the rooms were very clean too. It's a tiny place meant just for sleeping, in a great spot close to everything. There's somewhere to leave bags if you arrive early or need to head out late after checkout. Just be aware there’s no elevator, so you'll have to climb three floors. It's not accessible for disabled guests, but for a stop in Madrid, this is the spot.

The location was amazing, within walking distance of most things in Madrid, and I'd stay here again for that reason. We were there for three nights and three days, with rooms 9 and 1. One room was so tiny its door wouldn't open all the way, but it had a nicely sized restroom. Room 1 was the reverse, a decent sized room with a very, very small bathroom. I'd skip paying extra for a balcony or street-facing room because it was so loud at night. Garbage trucks, police cars and people out late made it nearly impossible to sleep through the night. The hallway was noisy too, and you could hear everyone coming and going, though that's expected in a shared hostel space. Our flight landed early and check-in wasn't until noon, but there was a reception area where we could leave our bags unattended. Next time I'll bring earplugs.

The location is hard to beat, about a minute from Puerta del Sol and a 15-minute walk to the Royal Palace and Prado Museum. The staff are lovely, and my room was modern, very clean, and well cared for.

The location is the one real plus: you can walk to lots of places, and the metro is about three minutes away. But this place calls itself a hotel, even though the room information says hostel, and it doesn't feel like a good one. For 250 euros a night and that high rating, the cleanliness and service were ridiculous. There was no elevator, and the rooms are on the third floor up an old, difficult staircase, especially with heavy bags. A person was also sitting permanently by the entrance with a cardboard sign, which made going in feel unsafe. We arrived exhausted and found a blood stain on the sheets, hair on the decorative cushions, a dirty-looking sink, and rubbish that still contained used water bottles from earlier guests. We were too tired to do anything but sleep that first night. The next day we contacted Booking.com. Management called and rudely demanded evidence in an aggressive way. Luckily, we'd already taken photos, which are attached to this review. Booking.com said a refund for one night might be possible. The property offered only 15% off a future stay, which was useless since we wouldn't book here again. This was one of my worst stays in Europe. I've stayed in other hostels, but this one is subpar, misrated, and run by people who wouldn't take responsibility for the dirty room and were rude instead. It was the last stop of our vacation, and it brought an otherwise wonderful trip to Spain to a miserable end.