Hostal Horizonte

I’d look for another place if you need to be sure you’ll have a room for the night. I booked here and asked about checking in late. They said it was fine for an extra fee, which I accepted, and didn’t give me a latest arrival time. But after my plane landed in Madrid, I got a message saying check-in was no longer possible, I was marked as a no-show, and I’d been charged for it. I’ve tried contacting the hotel since then without any luck. Don’t trust this hotel.

I had to cancel my entire trip to Madrid because of this hotel. I’d booked one night five days before traveling, and everything seemed fine until an email the day before said the booking was cancelled because the cardholder name didn’t match the reservation. That wasn’t true. I contacted the hotel through Booking several times and even offered to send my passport and card to show I was the person who made the booking. They ignored every message and cancelled it anyway. Then I went back on Booking and saw the same room had gone up by 100 euros. Completely unprofessional and unacceptable. Avoid this place at all costs. I’m giving one star just so I can post this.

The location is the main plus, and the rooms were well maintained. The owner was extremely rude and acted as though he lived on site. I booked the room and traveled with a friend, but he kept speaking Spanish and ignored me when I tried speaking English, even though I’d paid for the room. The rules felt ridiculous, including no eating in the rooms and no walking barefoot. If you want to enforce rules like that, you shouldn’t be in the hotel business. The place felt a bit creepy. The sheets smelled when we got into bed, and there were bugs. When we checked in, the owner said we were too early, then hurried us out of the restroom because it was for paying clients, as if we hadn’t paid. I felt like he walked the halls at night listening to what was going on in the rooms. He’d come in to leave one towel, with no toiletries and no beds made, and it felt like he was snooping around. There are cameras throughout the place that he watches, which made me feel uncomfortable and watched all the time. On our last day, we looked for him to ask for a one hour courtesy extension, but he wasn’t there. We left our luggage in the room while we ran errands before our flight. When we got back, he was cleaning the room with a broom and dustpan, with no sheets or usual room cart nearby. Within 30 minutes of us returning, he told us to check out, so we left. I’d recommend staying somewhere else with less anxiety.

It’s really old, dark, and a little creepy, though charming, beautiful, and very clean. The beds were okay. It doesn’t feel much like a hostel, more like a hotel with a shared bathroom. There weren’t any hand towels, so bring something with you.