Hostal Del Mar

The people working there were friendly, but the atmosphere felt strange. This is a family run guest house, not really a hostel, and they seem to treat the rooms as part of their home. One of them came into my room while I was in bed and seemed completely unbothered by it. The room smelled bad, and there was hair in the bathroom. The glass doors are thin and don’t shut properly. Guests only get a key to their room, and building access is restricted to opening hours, so groups ringing to be let in can make more noise.

It’s a short walk from Gran Via and works for a brief stay. The neighborhood felt sketchy, so I wouldn’t bring small children. Also, anyone sensitive to tobacco should be wary.

It’s close to everything, and the person in charge who answered my call was really attentive. The place was fine and clean. My room had a window with no view and air conditioning. Some rooms are up a flight of stairs, which is manageable with one or two carry-on bags.

The belongings in the room looked like my grandmother’s furniture, and I’m no spring chicken, but that was almost the least of it. I didn’t find it dirty, and I’ve slept in worse places. What bothered me most was feeling unsafe, as if something could happen there. I even pushed a piece of furniture against the door, despite having locked it. After the fact, reading Alfre Teja’s review makes you laugh because it’s exactly like that, but it isn’t funny when you arrive. Everything said in the earlier reviews is true. I hesitated to write this because I really can’t speak badly of the owners, strange as they are. Still, a guesthouse like this has no place nowadays.