Hostel Reviews

Based on a snow-biased 5 star system

Madrid: Hostal Metropol

-5 stars

Location: Located in a convenient, yet we will admit, slightly sketchy part of town because of the prostitutes which line the side street of the hostel. Right off Gran Via and 2 minute walk to the Plaza del Sol. Right by a Metro stop.

Security: No outside guests are allowed into the building. They have a security guard at all times, especially after midnight. Keys had to be returned to the desk any time you left the building. We felt very, very safe.

Staff: They were the sweetest, most helpful people we encountered. They all spoke English, but Spanish was the language they preferred.

Room: (Stayed in a 4-person dorm room) Suite-style, individual beds. Cleaned everyday, sheet and pillow provided. Cheap towel rental (1 euro). Only one outlet located in bathroom.

Wifi: Fair-have to resign-in every 30 minutes. Connection only in lobby area. Public computers are available for free from 10am-10pm.

Community: Most of the guests were not English speakers. Their bar area has great potential for meeting new people.

Granada: Oasis Backpacker's Hostel

-5 stars

Location: Located in the heart of the Islamic district off the main street Calle Gran Via. Surrounded by tapas restaurants, kebab shops, and bars. 2 minutes away from Granada 10 night club. 15 minute walk to the center of the city.

Security: Card key access to front door and rooms. Large locker compartments for each person within the rooms.

Staff: Hilarious and young. Able to speak English, Spanish, French, Swedish, etc....

Room: (Stayed in a 12-person dorm room) Suite-style, bunk beds. Cleaned everyday, sheet, pillow, and blanket provided. Outlets were scarcely located throughout the room.

Wifi: Soooo slow! Public computers are available, but even these had a very slow connection.

Community: Most of the guests were English speakers. The hostel hosted different events, like walking tours and tapas crawls, to allow for intra-hostel bonding. The terrace is amazing!!! It overlooks the entire Islamic district. Have their own bar with a happy hour, and they give a free drink to every guest.

Sevilla: Garden Backpacker's Hostel

-3 stars (pretty neutral)

Location: Located within 10 minutes of the Cathedral and Alcazar. Near supermarkets and La Carboneria—a well-known Flamenco place.

Security: Have to ring a bell to gain entrance. Security guard throughout the night. Lockers provided within the rooms.

Staff: They were good. Not mean nor super nice. Helped when needed.

Room: (Stayed in a 8-person dorm room) Bunk beds. Bathrooms located nearby the room. Cleaned everyday, sheet and pillow provided. 2 outlets per bed.

Wifi: Not sure—unable to connect with Linux OS.

Community: They have free sangrias in the garden at 9pm everyday. Host dinner parties, pub crawls and walking tours.

Valencia: Center Valencia

- 2 stars

Location: Location was the best thing about this hostel. 2 minute walk to the tram for the beach. Right next to the Plaza de la Virgen.

Security: Rooms are card key, but security for the front door was not great.

Staff: Day staff was helpful, but night staff was rude.

Room: (Stayed in a 8-person dorm room) Suite-style, bunk beds. Cleaned everyday, sheet, pillow and blanket provided. Each bed had their own reading light and outlet.

Wifi: Not sure—again, Linux OS could not connect. Public computers are available and shut down at 1am.

Community: Most of the guests were not English speakers. Their terrace provided nice view points but was not used by guests and closed by 9pm. The lobby and common area are off limits at 1am. If you need to make a phone call after 1am, the lobby is not available because you will be kicked out.

Barcelona: Equity Point-Gothic Point Hostel

-4 ½ stars

Location: Amazing! Right off Placa Sant Jaume and 5 minute walk to La Rambla. 2 minutes from Museu Picasso, the Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar and the Cathedral. Right by a Metro stop.

Security: No outside guests are allowed into the building. Card key access to rooms. Outside door is locked after dark, so you must ring bell and show card to gain access.

Staff: Young crowd; some staff members were backpackers who were staying at the hostel for free by working for the hostel.

Room: (Stayed in a 14-person dorm room) Suite-style, really high, awesome bunk beds. Each bed had its own wooden locker and drape which provided privacy. Cleaned everyday, sheet and pillow provided. Reading lights and outlets for every bed. *No air-condition!!! (this is what caused the loss of a ½ star) Air is gained through open windows which doesn't really help in 90/95 degree weather.

Wifi: Fast connection in lobby area. First 20 minutes on public computers are free, after that, you can buy more time. (2 euro per hour)

Community: Great!!! Their focus is on the night-life of Barcelona. Offer party buses, club crawls, walking tours during the day. Most people are English speakers, and enjoy each other's company in the lobby. Have a great terrace, but it closes at 9:30pm :( Allowed to purchase and bring in outside alcohol to pre-game.

San Sebastian: Roger's House

-2 ½ stars

Location: Located in the center of Old Town, 2 minutes from the closest beach, and 10minute walk to el Centre San Martin and La Playa de la Concha

Security: Must have key to enter the apartment, and an additional key to enter hostel. Within hostel, all rooms were accessible by anyone staying there. Lockers were available, but must inquire and pay for them.

Staff: Very nice, but not around very much.

Room: (Stayed in a 6-person dorm room) Bathroom down the hall, bunk beds. Cleaned everyday, sheet, comforter, and pillow provided. We fortunately had a power strip in our room because the public computer was attached to our room.

Wifi: Available everywhere in the hostel, and had great connection. There is one public computer available in a little cubby-hole between two of the dorm rooms.

Community: Most of the guests were from Australia, and pretty much people did their own thing. Not a lot of intra-Hostel interaction since they only had a tiny kitchen and no other communal space. It is not a “party hostel” and seems like everyone was fast asleep by 1am. It looked like a place that attracted a population of surfers who were all out on the surf beach during the day, exhausted by night.