Activa Puerta Carmona

The mattresses were comfortable, but the twin room was so cramped I had to move around like a Tetris block. I paid 70€ for it. There were stains in the bathtub, the shower head wasn’t attached to anything, and the towels felt like sandpaper. It was also very noisy, with paper-thin walls, so don’t stay here if you need a quiet night. The receptionist wasn’t available during the posted hours and was rude and dismissive, without even a hello. The TV only had one news channel and lots of tarot readers and sexual ads. Please don’t let children use it.

We left two nights early because the room didn’t match the pictures, and they offered neither a refund nor any sympathy. The photos didn’t make it clear that the bedroom window looked onto the hostel’s shared indoor resting area. There was also a small hallway to the bathroom with two clear windows facing the hostel elevator. When I asked to change rooms, the staff were confrontational. The service was awful.

The room I stayed in was spacious and beautiful, with a really comfortable bed. At 30€/night, it was affordable for somewhere so close to the train station. It’s sold as a hostal, but there’s no breakfast service, so you’ll need to find a nearby bar or eat at the station.

After a few small, below-average places elsewhere in Spain, this felt like relative luxury. The bathroom was massive by comparison, and 60 euro a night was good value. The historic center is at most a 10 minute walk away.