Hostal Abel Victoriano

Madrid was still very warm in mid-September, with the tourist season in full swing, and reasonably priced places were hard to find. I got a single room for 53€ a night. It was small and had no window, and the bathroom was shared, but the fan worked well and the room was big enough not to feel claustrophobic. Only two rooms shared that bathroom, and there was a small sink with running water in my room. The location was very central, about a 400m walk from Gran Via. I was pretty happy with it.

Noviciado metro station, shops, and restaurants are all quite close, so the location is excellent. I stayed for two days on my Madrid trip. The private rooms are small but fine for one or two people, and the bed and bathroom were clean and good. They lent me a power adaptor and let me leave my luggage after checkout. Reception stays open until midnight, which was convenient.

Light sleepers should know that street conversations and passing traffic came through even with the windows shut. I sleep through anything, so it never bothered me. The room had a warm bed, which was all I needed on vacation, and I didn't need anyone to make it. There's a whole corridor of shared shower rooms and bathrooms, and I could always find one free when I needed it. The location is by the north entrance of Noviciado station, which is physically part of the station complex that includes Plaza de España station. It's a handy base for the metro lines to other parts of Madrid, and the nearby neighborhood is a good place to duck away from Gran Via's bustle after an outing.

The building and rooms are very old, the internet was painfully slow and sometimes dropped out completely, so I used my mobile data. It also feels expensive for what you get. There's no soundproofing, and you hear everything outside and in the neighboring rooms, so bring earplugs. Staff were helpful and polite, and cleaning was good. It's on a beautiful road in the city centre, in a safe and friendly neighborhood. Shops, metro, and bus stations are all a short distance away.