VTZ The Botanic Hostel

It was cold everywhere in November, including the room and the common area, and there was no heating. I regretted booking two nights. The photos give a misleading impression: nowhere felt cozy, and there was no natural light. The room windows wouldn’t open, so the only air was unpleasant air conditioning. The shower is half open and right in the room, leaving humidity everywhere. Sensor lighting means there’s no switch, and from the bed you’re left in semi-darkness with just the bedside light. The kitchen isn’t fully equipped: there’s no stove for cooking, just a rather dirty microwave. There’s no reception, only entry by code, and the code didn’t work when I arrived. The listing doesn’t make that clear. I don’t recommend it.

For a shared dorm, the automatic bedroom lights were awful: whenever you got in or out of bed, bright lights came on throughout the room. There was also no staff to deal with people making a lot of noise in the common area at 2 or 3 in the morning, and the sound carried straight into the bedrooms. Coming back after dark felt unsafe, and there was urine on the ground in front of the entrance when we returned. The location seemed a bit dodgy, and I would have preferred a staff member on site for safety and security. Everything is handled remotely through the outside intercom, with no reception. The interior was nice and clean, and the beds were comfortable with privacy curtains. Still, there’s not much affordable accommodation in Zaragoza, and for what we got, I felt this place cost too much, especially in winter or during the off season.

Everything runs automatically, but there is security, and the staff are responsive and dependable if something comes up. The place is clean and quiet, and the price is amazing. There’s a full kitchen, and several bus lines go there. It’s also on conde aranda, beside the mercado central.

Please think about your safety before staying here. The Botanic Hostel is in a neighbourhood that feels dangerous at night, with drug dealers and lots of men around, and the setting resembles a ghetto. This doesn’t match the hostel’s claims of a central location and 24-hour safety service. Contact through WhatsApp is often strange, perhaps AI, and the communication is entirely digital through the intercom, email, phone, or WhatsApp. There was no English-speaking staff available to help, only Spanish-speaking cleaning staff and no reception staff. We booked a four-bed, female-only suite, but it had no windows, and the lamps switched on and off with movement. That made it hard for deaf people trying to sleep through the night. After registering on the website, we weren’t even given the entrance code or room number. I wouldn’t recommend this for people with disabilities, including deafness, for FLINTAS*, or for a long stay.