Hostal San Blas

Perfect for a short visit, especially with Atocha so close. The whole hotel has been renovated recently.

For the price, this was much better than I expected. The room was quiet, and the bathroom was clean with a really good hot shower. The room itself was small but tidy, with a queen bed, a fold-down wall table, little shower gel bottles and a hair dryer. There’s no lift to the second floor, so be ready to carry a large suitcase up if you have one. You can also buy bottled water or soda at the front desk. Very practical for a budget stay, and the location is great.

I’m coming back to Madrid for a night next week and plan to stay here again. The receptionist was really helpful when I needed documents printed. It’s a handy budget option if you’re arriving by train, and the amenities are fair for what you pay. My room was small, but clean, and the bathroom had plenty of hot water. The walls seem thin, though, so depending on your neighbors, earplugs might help. Works well for a short stay on a budget.

I chose it for the central spot near Atocha, and the room was okay. But noise came through from neighboring rooms whenever I wasn’t wearing earplugs. The Wi-Fi was the biggest problem: on both my devices it was so slow that most of the time even basic pages wouldn’t load. My 4G reception inside was very poor too, so if you need a reliable data connection for work or anything else, this place may not work for you.