Hostal Alistana

The room is on the small side, but enough for a couple to stay in. There was a medium-sized bed, a small drawer, a small table, and a small TV (that also catches classical music post). Everything inside the room is functional. The bathroom, towels, bed sheets and ceiling were clean.

Hotel Alistana would not be our first stop in Madrid. We only went there because it was the cheapest option available, and we still found it not worth its price. After a walk around, we found the Salamanca neighborhood to be the most peaceful and welcoming; and that's far from this hotel. The balcony, by a big, unsightly body of the air conditioner; maybe it was cheaper putting it there than attaching it to the wall, or maybe it looked better like that from the outside, but it pretty much rendered the balcony unusable. The walls, however, looked like they hadn't been repainted since the building was built. What we enjoyed very little about the room was what felt like a complete lack of any sound-proofing whatsoever. The street we were on is a busy touristic hub spot of a commercial avenue with shops on every corner, and they close well after midnight. While open, their customers talk loudly and laugh hysterically with no regard whatsoever for sleeping hours. As soon as they close, the garbage trucks pick up where they left off, as well as the copious amounts of thrash pins they left behind. It sounds like Hephaestus flaming up his forge, hell-bent on hammering the whole arsenal of Olympus. After a couple of hours of this torture, motor maniacs join in the fun, speeding through once every couple of minutes in a race against our sanity, as if to wake the dead from Hades. Then follows the supply track, which is hard at work from around 4 am, with its workers swearing and thrashing stuff around like Hera in crazed jealousy. The nightmare never ends; it goes on and on all night long, night after night. Closing the balcony doors does nothing to shut out the noise; it merely makes the room pitch-black like a cave, focusing all our attention on the noise. It's a wonder we managed to sleep through part of a couple of nights; the rest were white, sleepless nights.

The room was smelly . even after they cleaned it . The towels smelled terrible, Like they didn't wash them with soap. only water . there was noise from the other rooms - no privacy at all . Not clean . smells bad . staff was not helpfull . There was electricity breaks and one time it was during the night- and it made me miss my alarm clock and late for an important meeting. Terrible place but the location is amazing - so I was out as much as i could. The drapes in the window kept falling . .. Terrible DON'T GO THERE

The room was smelly . even after they cleaned it . The towels smelled terrible, Like they didn't wash them with soap. only water . there was noise from the other rooms - no privacy at all . Not clean . smells bad . staff was not helpfull . There was electricity breaks and one time it was during the night- and it made me miss my alarm clock and late for an important meeting. Terrible place but the location is amazing - so I was out as much as i could. The drapes in the window kept falling . .. Terrible DON'T GO THERE

Excellent location! A short walk to Gran Via and Malasaña. Most of the cities main attractions are less than half an hour away by foot. Good price! Very cheap rate considering the location. Friendly and helpful staff. Muchas gracias!

The smell! We all know that the Spanish enjoy a cigarette or two but I think I’ll need a lung transplant after 2 nights in room 10. Shower was hot but lacked pressure. Mild inconvenience having hotel reception a five minute walk away.