Hostel JIRAFA

No service and no security. Someone took my 150 euros.

The communication was awful, and nobody explained the rules to the other travelers. People talked loudly at 3 a.m. and made noise all night, with no staff around except for two hours in the morning. Hygiene and security were both lacking. The worst experience of my entire life.

So bad.

I’ll go a bit against the grain and give it four stars. Yes, it gets crowded because it’s cheap, and you have to put up with snoring, so bring earplugs, and some smell in the rooms that’s hard to avoid to a point. But it felt safe and quiet thanks to the responsible staff, and the rules were clear: no alcohol, no hanging around outside on the street, use headphones on your phone so you don’t disturb people, and keep yourself clean. Someone always forgets the headphones, of course. Lights go out at 11 p.m. and noise isn’t allowed. There are at least four bathrooms with showers, and they were always clean. They also let me dry the clothes I brought from the laundromat in their courtyard. The location near Méndez Álvarez is convenient for the metro, bus station and commuter train. I stayed four nights, and with a little patience it’s manageable.