Hostal Arti

A "hostile hostel" which I would not recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable stay in Madrid. My room seemed reasonably priced considering it was a double with a private bathroom, but after seeing the room, it was apparent that I received no bargain. The two towels, one of which was on the floor, were refreshed after 3 nights. To call it a "view" would be misleading, considering that discerning between day and night consisted of determining what the people on the floor above were tipping out their window. Waking up to "rain" would leave me dumbfounded, only later to find it was a tenant emptying a nondescript bucket from the window on the other side of the "shaft" over which my window looked.

At first the lack of air-conditioning was acceptable for the price and location of the hostel, and I accepted that frequent showers would be necessary considering the excruciating heat in the room. After consistently hitting my legs on a ridiculously placed bookshelf, I moved it only to find that it was placed there in order to conceal the lake of water that leaked through from the shower and into the room. Opening the door only resulted in an incredibly rude "concierge" repeatedly closing my door without even permitting an explanation of the necessity to allow airflow through the room.

Madrid is a beautiful city with so much culture to experience. If in need of directions, I recommend asking one of the plentiful policemen, who are significantly more helpful than anyone at the desk of "Hostal" Arti. In fact I believe it suffice to say that if you're looking for comfortable accommodation, I'd expect that being arrested would afford you more pleasure.