Budget Travel - cheap places to stay in Madrid

So I'll be in Spain from May 16-23. As of now i am planning on staying in Madrid the entire time however i could be talked into splitting my time up between two or more cities.

I want to try and keep my intra-spain travel and accommodation costs down. I don't want to spend more than $500USD. Anyway, I am open to renting a room in someone's house or a cheap B&B or hotel. However where ever I stay I would like it to be clean and safe.

Any ides or suggestions?

The site Madridman.com has a lot of recommendations for relatively cheap hostals (not hostels). I ended up staying at a hotel, but Hostal Marlasca looks cheap and well-located.

hostals (not hostels)

What is the difference between a hostal and a hostel?

In Spain and Portugal (maybe other places) a "hostal" is basically an 1-star/2-star hotel or boardinghouse. Some countries refer to a hostal as a "pansion" or "pension". They are all basically the same. Instead of having 6-bed dorms, hostals only have private rooms with one or more beds. If you are travelling with a companion, you split the price of the room and it ends up being about the same (sometimes cheaper) as 2 beds in a hostel.

Hostals may or may not have the features that some people look for in hostels (TV room, organized tours, pub crawls, etc...). Plus, they are typically not the best place for single travelers to meet other people.

EDIT: I am not the best source of info on Spain but I'm sure if you listed some of your hobbies/interests, other members could point you in the right direction, in terms of where you should stay in Madrid and/or whether two cities would be better.

Well seeing as how I am traveling with my girlfriend It sounds like a 'Hostal' is the way to go. I see a million listed on Madridman.com, to narrow it down what area should i be looking for?

thanks!

You're not going to have the same kind of problem with flea pits in Spain that you would in London. Also, public transport in both Madrid and Barcelona is cheap.

Download a map of the Madrid metro and print it out - use it as a reference when looking for places to stay in Madrid. Just discard anything that is too far out of the way. My own friends live in the Sol/Atocha area which is a great area if you want to go for tapas in the evening and clubbing at night. Even so, El Prado and Reina Sofia museums are easy enough to get to. To be honest, most places are - the metro system is efficient and cheap.

My concern about your enjoyment of Madrid is that apart from museums and galleries, you've not really commented on many other interests. And most of the museums and attractions in the city are things you have to pay for.

I thought you might enjoy Barcelona more because it's a city that seems on initial visits to have more hidden treasures (Madrid does too but you might find they are TOO hidden, or not to your taste... I find the citiy's best delights are more 'social') just walking around the Ramblas, Montjuic, El Barrio Gotico, Gracia, Parc Guell, the Port area, etc, etc... will be fulfilling, easy to do and for the most part, free. And there is a more of a 'left field' leaning in Barcelona, not something I can explain easily - if you knew the difference in programming between Tele Madrid and TV3 (The main Catalan channel) you'd realise quickly that Barcelona is more supportive of contemporary Art than Madrid is. It means that although there are plenty of fine museums that require payment for entry in Barcelona, you're more likely to stumble across small galleries and spaces with installations that won't charge admission.

As Kaptan says, look for Hostales or Pensiones. you'd have to be EXTREMELY unlucky to come across one that was unhygienic... I've certainly never come across one, nor heard any horror stories.

The main problem in Spain is theft and the occasional run in with con artists (some of whom pretend to be policemen in order to get your wallet and documents). Take the same kind of precautions as you would in New York - don't just sling a bag over a shoulder so that it can be cut or snatched away easily - something I myself have seen happen far too many times in the Barrio Gotico. Nevertheless, I've never had a problem. If you're both sensible and take precautions, I doubt you'll have a problem either. Just be sure to be wary of leaving anything valuable in your pension or hostal room.

Last March we stayed at Hotel Europa (http://www.hoteleuropa.es), steps from the Sol stop on their underground. I thought it was excellent value for money at Euro 75, although we got what I believe was one of their Euro 95 rooms. Huge room, facing right onto the plaza, hardwood floors, big bathroom with floor to ceiling marble. These rooms are now Euro 80 and 100, respectively, it would appear from their web site.

The main problem in Spain is theft and the occasional run in with con artists

This does not happen in London or any other major city :rolleyes:



www.hostaltriana.com

Very Central, Very Clean, Very Reasonable rates, Speak English, 100% better than a lot of the Hostals advertised.
Gets booked up quickly. :-:

This does not happen in London or any other major city :rolleyes:


Yes of course it does - but I've been to Barcelona many, many times and on every single visit (bar one) I've witnessed someone have their bag snatched right in front of me. (In London it's more pickpockets and mobile phone thefts - and I've already told the OP of a friend who got mugged near Harlesden a couple of days ago and mentioned that gun crime here is on the rise)

I just wanted to stress that the cleanliness of pensiones and the areas in which they are wasn't such an issue as it is in London (where the area you stay has a greater impact on the likelihood of your encountering crime).

You should take the same precautions everywhere as you would in New York, even Tokyo.

What's the cheapest and fastest (i know i'll get two answers) way of getting from Madrid to Barcelona?

What's the cheapest and fastest (i know i'll get two answers) way of getting from Madrid to Barcelona?

If you act fast, roughly $90 (just over 60Euros) return by air, tax inclusive, each (make sure you don't get a flight that leaves earlier than the time you can get to the airport if there's only a few Euros in it).

If you go by train you're looking at a 5 to 7 hour trip which may not be much cheaper (lots of mountainous terrain between the two cities - they're currently constructing a faster link, but it will be a while before it's ready.) Most trains are 65.80 each way (there's a 20% discount on a return trip - you might get an additional discount if you can get an under 26 card) there are overnight trains that leave Madrid at 10pm and arrive at about 7:30am - those are 38.40Euros each way (again multiply this by two and remove 20% for the return price). Details on www.renfe.es.

BUS: a bus will take 7.5 hours, they depart throughout the day right up until 1am (there are about 5 overnight buses which get you there in the morning) - cost is 46.71 Euros return or 25.95Euros for a single journey http://www.alsa.es

You might find the cheapest/best value way to get between the two cities is to get a bus in one direction and a flight the other.

I've found that Hostal prices in Barcelona can be marginally lower than those in Madrid - you may find that the savings in Barcelona mean that effectively, the cost of going there and back by air is only about $60 or so more than it would be staying exclusively in Madrid (and that's WITHOUT the day trips to Toledo or the escorial)

I wouldn't expect to pay more than 40Euros for a double room in Barcelona.

In Barcelona I stayed at Pension Iniesta a few years ago (it was convenient for Montjuic where the Primavera Sound Festival used to be)
http://www.pensioniniesta.com/ doubles are 38Euros a night with shared bathroom.
I remember it being very clean, but a bit noisy and the curtains didn't shut out the light - but as I'd taken earplugs and an eyemask, this didn't bother me at all.
Although it's good for Montjuic, it is very close to a Metro station, so getting around to other parts won't be a problem.

LapLap, first let me thank you for all your help in. It seems like your following all my posts in various forums and provided what i expect to be good advise (other than that one hotel ;) ). anyway I kind of like trains if they go through nice areas. What sort of view will I have for the trip?

Also, what airline are you looking at?

Another choice, though not as cheap as the Hostal Triana, is the Hotel Ateneo, also in the Sol area of Madrid. http://www.hotel-ateneo.com/index.html

I checked it out on TripAdvisor & it has received good reviews, so I booked it. :) Have fun on your trip!

... to narrow it down what area should i be looking for?

If you're near Puerta del Sol you will be close to everything. My own self, I just showed up and looked for signs hanging from the buildings :D OTOH, when I thought about paying a bit more and finding a little nicer place, all the hostals nearby were full :eek:

Of course there was a cozy little bar downstairs where I discovered Cointrau ;) Good thing I get out of the country once in a while so I can buy it at duty free shops in airports, it's way too expensive here :(

EmailKid

When I met DHammer53 in Madrid, he had one one of the internet specials on the Solmelia web site (Sol Melia, Tryp hotels). You might take a look there and see what's on offer, and get on their e-mail list, too--click the "special offers" link on their website. I stayed at a backpacker's place myself.
http://www.solmelia.com/solNew/home/jsp/C_Home.jsp

You might find the cheapest/best value way to get between the two cities is to get a bus in one direction and a flight the other.

And, if you're using an award ticket, consider a free stopover in Madrid on the way to Barcelona. I did that in 2005 with AA/IB on a 40K off peak ticket.

That's what I ended up doing. Sol Melia, for the last couple years, has had a promotion where hotel rates in July and August are very cheap and an excellent buffet breakfast is included. As mentioned, get on the email list. I can't say whether they'll have this promotion this year, of course. Sol Melia also has some specials otherwise - like last-minute, etc.

LapLap, first let me thank you for all your help in. It seems like your following all my posts in various forums and provided what i expect to be good advise (other than that one hotel ;) ). anyway I kind of like trains if they go through nice areas. What sort of view will I have for the trip?

Also, what airline are you looking at?

The train between Madrid & Barcelona, being expensive and long, is something I've avoided for myself and have only made this journey on one occasion - on the overnight train. I either get to MAD or BCN from London or from my usual base, Alicante (where my family are). The view from the Euromed on the journey to Barcelona from ALC is pretty special.

Having travelled between ALC & MAD by train (much shorter trip) lots of times, I don't think you'd want to be using up your budget on the most expensive of all the transport options and wasting so much of a precious day on a journey that never, ever makes it into anyone's top ten train journeys in Europe. The view will be nice, but not THAT nice. In fact, at less than two hours longer, you'll get the same impression of the countryside from the Bus.
I hardly think I need to say that you won't see anything of the scenery at all from the more economical night train.

As for which is the cheapest airline???

Even if I knew your dates and travel plans yesterday, the prices may have changed today. There are a staggering amount of flights between MAD & BCN (the route is known as an 'air bridge'). Use www.skyscanner.com to see the range of options.
In general, you'll find the cheapest prices are from Skanair, Iberia and Vueling. It all depends on the date and time you decide to fly.

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Background info
I went to University in Alicante and have family there (my mother is from there and I'm a Spanish citizen). For some time, a close friend went to live in Barcelona - which is why I'd go so often. She now lives in Madrid, where many of my other friends from Alicante have located to. Much as I love this city (and I'm as much a culture vulture as I am a party animal :) ), I remember completely my first visit to Barcelona. I was 19, and had the opportunity to go there alone for the weekend as a RENFE (train) employee had offered me a lift there and back. I knew nothing about the city but found something marvellous at almost every turn, I was in tears for much of the time because I was so overwhelmed.

I usually either stay with friends (in Madrid), or, more recently, I stay in more 'upmarket' apartments when visiting Barcelona, but I always try to get the best value for money with lodgings and flights (hence FT which has allowed me to climb ever higher in my expectations ^ ). I have stayed in pensiones in the past, but most of these times were long ago and I've long since forgotten their names... or know if they even exist anymore. My favourite accommodation in Spain are the Paradores... but I guess you'll need to save these treasures for a future trip.

I've taken a lot of visitors round London (not something I'll be able to do for the next few months) and adore this city, but I'm hugely sympathetic towards the aspirations of those on a budget. I genuinely want you to go back with great memories of both 'my' countries.

I stayed in the Hostal Gonzalo back in January for four nights. It is cheap and most importanly, clean and quiet. Meanwhile, it is very close to Prado and the two other museums. It took me less than 10 minutes to walk to Plaza Mayor, Plaza del sol and other tourist sites. Btw, I know it from reading Rick Steve's guidebook.

http://www.hostalgonzalo.com/

I stayed in the Hostal Gonzalo back in January for four nights. .......

http://www.hostalgonzalo.com/

That does look nice - do the photographs on the webpage accurately reflect what you found there?

Hostal Gonzalo has received good reviews on TripAdvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187514-d239056-Reviews-Hostal_Gonzalo-Madrid.html