Hostel Ritual Alameda Sevilla

The hostel was close to the center, not expensive, and our basement room had good air conditioning. We stayed for three days in mid-June, in a room beside the kitchen. The stay was okay overall, but there were two big problems. There were lots of dead cockroaches, and staff sprayed insecticide in the shared kitchen and sitting room every day. The smell made it uncomfortable to spend time there and drifted into the rooms. I can’t say if other rooms were the same, but ours was very noisy. We could hear everything, especially in the morning when the cleaning crew was so loud they woke us much too early. We also heard people entering and leaving the building.

The working AC, WiFi, drinkable water, satellite TV, and a toilet with paper were useful. The shower worked, and the shower floor was quite nice, but it only had one cold setting. The tap offered two temperatures, hot and sort of hot-cold. The TV was locked, with Spanish satellite channels only and no streaming or phone mirroring. The bed and pillows were uncomfortable, and there was so much noise from outside the door that I couldn’t fall asleep. The bathroom looked like a school locker room, the toilet was loose, and the paper was single-ply. There was chipped paint when I arrived, plus lots of cracks and chipped corners in the wooden floor. The layout was confusing, and asking me and my roommate to send our IDs by WhatsApp felt uncomfortable. The door and room codes also came through WhatsApp. Pros: working shower, AC, satellite TV, WiFi, toilet with paper, and drinkable water. Cons: locked TV, confusing layout, uncomfortable pre-check-in process, cold shower, chipped paint and floor, loose toilet, and single-ply toilet paper.

Despite having a confirmed reservation for October 1st-3rd, 2024, I couldn’t get into the hotel when I arrived. No one answered my email or phone call, and I was left without a place to stay. I had to find somewhere else at a premium, spending almost $500 USD for two nights in Seville. I booked through Citi Travel, which still hadn’t replied to my reimbursement request when I wrote this. As a solo female traveler, being stranded outside after dark was frightening and not something I ever want to go through again. I’m grateful to the strangers who helped me find other accommodation. If you want to be homeless in Seville, book this hotel. Do not book it.

The manager runs the hotel to a very high standard, and the staff were lovely, attentive, and always happy to help. Breakfast was fantastic, with plenty of choice and no fuss. We had a spotless, magnificent room with a wonderful view, and I could have stayed in it all day. We’d definitely come back and recommend the place.