Hostal Sol Madrid

The room was clean and the location is excellent. But the Wi-Fi barely worked in our room, 411, so we had to go into the corridor for a signal. The pillows were small and awful, and the TVs aren't smart, so you're limited to local public channels.

I booked three nights through Booking.com, then the hotel said my credit card was invalid, even though it wasn't, and charged me the cancellation fee. I've sent five messages through Booking.com's system and emailed them, but haven't heard back. I still don't know if my reservation is active or if they cancelled it. Booking.com told me to contact the hotel, and calling the hotel just led to voicemail after a long wait. I'm very disappointed. It looks like I've lost 134€ on this booking, and they haven't replied through any of the ways I've tried.

The staff were amazing when one of us got sick and helped us out so much. The location is phenomenal, and the beds were big, maybe even too big. One bed squeaked a little. Since it's right above Madrid's busiest area, there's some noise, though the insulation is very good.

The view and location feel like four stars, even though the hotel itself is 2*. I think most rooms look out over Puerto del Sol, right in the center of Madrid, where all distances in Spain are measured. The original General Post Office was next door.