Hostal Los Arcos

The room and service made this stay miserable. It smelled, was dirty and falling apart, with stained sheets, a lumpy bed, a broken shower and a clogged toilet. The air conditioner was loud, the TV picture fuzzy, and the Wi-Fi slow. Breakfast was bland, the coffee cold, and service slow. The area was noisy and the view ugly, too. The staff were rude and seemed unable to communicate with me or one another. The receptionist was often angry and impatient, refused to help, and even yelled when I asked for something as basic as a map or taxi. The manager ignored my complaints and treated me as if I weren't there. I hated every minute at Los Arcos. This was the worst experience of my life, and I will never return. Avoid it. It was a nightmare.

The hostal's location was its one redeeming feature. The building was shabby, and our room never got cleaned. After we left a note, they only replaced the towels. The central heating was switched off, so the cold made it really hard to sleep. The receptionist was rarely at the desk, dressed inappropriately, and was very unpleasant. If you don't speak Spanish, don't expect them to understand English. I wouldn't recommend staying here.

Madrid's location here is as good as you could hope for, and our room was clean. Still, it was small, had no air conditioning, and was right beside the laundry room, which we were unlucky to have next door. The towels were worn out on our first day. For the price, it didn't feel good enough.

For a cheap hostel right in the city centre, you get what you'd expect: small but clean rooms and bathroom, plus Wi-Fi, towels and a fan. Violeta was kind and helpful, though there can be a language barrier if you don't speak Spanish. Italian or French should work fine. The thin walls are the main drawback. You hear conversations from the next room and all the noise in the hall. It didn't bother me much, but some people might find it a dealbreaker. For the price and location, the rest was fine.