Hostal Esmeralda - Madrid

Loved the helpful and friendly staff. Location was great but a little noisy because of the bars and restaurants. Would stay again but maybe ask for a room not on the street.

This hitel is wonderfully located. The ensuite rooms are clean and very well maintained. Staff members are always helpful. Being English in a Spanish speaking famiky hotel did mean we were unable to enjoy the relaxed conversation that is sometimes helpful to a traveller - where to go, what is recommended etc. Our room was relatively small by our standards - little space around the bed - which was very comfy. The bathroom worked! Hot water, flushing toilets - no hassles. Being so close to the Plaza del Sol meant a lot of noise til about 6am. The double glazing helps - kept the windows closed. Two lovely balconies but too noisy to open the windows. Our lack of Spanish meant we were unable to request a quiet room. Overall well located to everything - but ask for a quiet room!

Excellent location to explore Madrid by foot. You can reach most of the attractions from that place just walking for 10 - 30 minutes. It is good value for the money. It is not a quiet street at night if the quietness is your priority.

Location was great, close to many bars, restaurants & shopping, room was overpriced for quality of facilities... tiny room, no room to turn around in bathroom etc. We stayed in a similar but much nicer Hostal nearby on C. Fuencarral for 15% less the previous week. My advice is to look elsewhere.

When I was searching for hotels, I wanted a hotel that was cheap and in central Madrid. With this hotel, I got that. It was a great price and literally at "kilometer 0" right in the center of Madrid. What I didn't expect was that the hostal would be rather uncomfortable - small, which I expected - but the towels were bricks. Literally - it was painful to dry my body off and impossible to use as a face towel. Also, beware that you will be required to leave your room key at the front desk when you're not in the room - and it's possible that even though the reception desk is technically open 24/7, its likely nobody will be there. And if they are there, they probably won't be able to speak any English. My husband and I had to even search for a map before going out to the city. On the flipside, if you want to be near clubs and bars, this is it. You could hear street noise most of the night - until about 6am or so. That wasn't so bad, but you could also smell the cigarette smoke coming through the windows - being pregnant, that annoyed me a bit. The city tour bus also drops very very close, which was really convenient and there were plenty of shops and restaurants to choose from very close by. I'd recommend this hostal only if you understand what you're getting yourself into and are prepared with your own towels and pillows (they only provide one for an entire double bed!)