Owls Hostel Ildefonso

For the price, you get a lot: spacious rooms and showers, a terrace, a living room, and amazing reception service. The location is unbelievable, practically in the center. It's a hostel, of course, not all-inclusive, but they offer more than you'd normally expect from one.

The central location, good connections, and safe-feeling area were a plus. I was even able to work there for a couple of days in the common lounge. My mother and I stayed about a week, and the experience was decent, though cleanliness and communication could use more attention. On arrival we had to ask for a duvet cover to be changed because it looked dirty, or at least like it hadn't been replaced after the previous guests. They dealt with that promptly. The entrance code also changed during our stay, but guests weren't told by message or email. A new note was put on the door, which was easy to miss if you didn't check each day. The staff would open the door if you rang the bell.

The place was dirty and smelly, and the atmosphere was unpleasant. Staff were unhelpful and hard to reach. I messaged on WhatsApp for several days, but got no reply or answers that dealt with my questions, so I had to ask the same things repeatedly. When I arrived with lots of luggage, nobody offered to help. My room was two floors up and there was no elevator, so I had to carry everything myself in several trips. Staff also made a lot of noise near the rooms every morning, with no consideration for people trying to rest. Very poor service. I wouldn't return or recommend it.

The receptionist, Omar, treated us in a racist and disrespectful way. The manager should replace him with someone polite.