Le Petit Palu Barco

The location is just perfect, a one-minute walk from the Gran Via with everything close by. The room was nice, but the bed and pillows were much too small, and the old street-facing window let in every sound from outside. When room service came, they took my personal towel, which was a different color from the hostel’s white ones. I got no response at all when I contacted customer service on Whatsapp.

The location of this stay went badly from the start. When I arrived, I hadn’t received the room code and couldn’t get in, so at 1 a.m. in the middle of Madrid I had to find another hotel. It was stressful and unacceptable. The alternative hotel was awful, and I had to pay extra for something I hadn’t planned on. That’s not acceptable service, and I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who needs reliable accommodation.

We paid $108, 99 euros for a private room and ended up in room 101, right by the main entrance on the ground floor. The door slams loudly every time someone comes in or goes out. The room has no sound insulation, so you can hear cars and even people talking as they pass on the street. It’s a very basic room with only the bare minimum. There’s no reception or help. They basically send you a code when it’s check-in time, so if something goes wrong, good luck.

They kept pushing me to move our conversation to WhatsApp after I booked on Booking.com, and wouldn't use the app to communicate. Then I woke up to an early attempt to charge my card. The only other place that's acted this way with me turned out to be a scam. Save yourself the hassle and stay somewhere else.