Hostal Foster

The rooms are plain but perfectly satisfactory. Great spot for exploring Madrid.

The morning I checked out, I finally spoke with the receptionist. They said disturbances like this were normal and that the hostel wasn’t responsible for guests’ behavior. They even said the hostel had no problem in this situation. That response summed up what felt like a complete lack of concern for guest safety or comfort. Nobody had replied to my earlier reports or offered any help, and I felt completely on my own throughout the stay. The first night, another guest came in at 3:30 a.m., talking loudly and repeatedly slamming doors. Cigarette smoke, despite smoking being prohibited, filled my room and made it hard to breathe. Light from the common areas also poured in through large gaps under the door and between the walls, so sleeping was difficult. I messaged the hostel the next morning because there was no one at reception, but got no response or solution. On the third night, a guest was extremely loud and aggressive all night, slamming doors again. The noise and threatening tone frightened me enough that I considered calling the police. I tried to call reception, but nobody answered. There’s no staff on site at night, and no employee present on weekends to ensure security. Reception is only open Monday through Friday, from 2 to 6 p.m., which I don’t think is enough to keep guests safe. People are left to handle noise, aggressive behavior, and rule breaking on their own. The hostel’s lack of customer service felt like bad faith and showed, to me, irresponsibility and incompetence. I also left a pair of trousers in my room. I contacted the hostel right away to ask them to find and send them, but they made no effort and denied I’d left anything behind, though I’m absolutely certain I did. This was my worst accommodation experience. I felt abandoned, without security or assistance, and the hostel wouldn’t acknowledge problems with either the disturbances or my lost belongings. If you want a peaceful, safe stay, avoid this hostel.

It’s a very basic pension, with small but clean rooms, and I thought it was absolutely worth the price. Check-in is only from 2 to 6 p.m., but the manager messaged me in advance via WhatsApp, and we worked out a time that suited us both.

Lily was lovely and let me in an hour before check-in. I was exhausted, and she got everything sorted quickly and made me comfortable. The staff were all super kind. I had a great day and night at the hostal. It’s small, but after a long day of travelling and sightseeing, it had everything I could want. The bed was good and comfy, and the shower was small but nice. They provide shower gel that smells great, and my room looked out onto the street you enter from, which was cute. The location is great, close to laundromats, the metro, coffee shops, good lunch places, a gym, and all sorts of things around Gran Via. If I’m back in Madrid, I’d probably stay here again.