Madrid Hostal Persal--nice breakfast?

I am going to be in Madrid in July and am considering staying at the Hostal Persal. I found a great rate (through a travel agent friend) that makes it just a litte more than some of the budget hostals. The rate includes "cold buffet" breakfast. Does anyone know what kind of breakfast is served? Refills on coffee? Anything other than rolls and juice? Thanks.

Actually I´ve passed by that hostal many times on my way to the very nearby Plaza Santa Ana . The lobby looks more like a hotel than an hostal ! Very smart . I haven´t stayed there ( I tried once but they were full ) .. so I can´t answer your question about breakfast , though , in that barrio ( area ) , there are many many places to have breakfast .
I was sort of freaked out by an hostal that I stayed in many years ago in puerta del sol ... the breakfast was a very simple cold buffet .. but they did provide bread which you could toast . Orange juice was there .. good . But the coffee was in a big jug .. and cold .. so you had to pour it into a cup and put it into the microwave ! Shocking hehehehehehe

I don't know either. Why not email them through the Hostal Persal website to ask for specifics.

My guess is that it may include toast (not cold, but you-toasted), butter/margarine/olive oil, marmalade/jam, juices and coffees. I'd guess you could re-fill on coffee. But you never know in these places. In some places they set it before you at your tables and that's that.

Would you please return to this/your thread upon staying at Hostal Persal to not only tell us about the breakfast but to review the "hostal" itself? It's been a long time since we've read anything about this place.

UPDATE: If you look at the "Services" video on their website, there's a 3-second moment where the camera scans over what must be the breakfast of a croissant, coffee, teas are displayed too, and something which probably holds butters and jams. If that's not enough (and it may not be for some people), as steve robinson says above, there are other places nearby to get breakfast. Keep in mind the Spanish breakfast is usually small like this and so other bars may serve not much more than toasted bread with olive oil.

Thanks! Saludos, MadridMan

I stayed at the Hostal Persal last June and I loved it. The rooms are small compared to what I am used to in the States, but that didn't matter. I didn't have breakfast, but I stepped in to see the buffet. If I remember correctly, there was toast, rolls, cereal, fruit...it looked great. When I made my reservation, I opted out of the breakfast, thinking that I would just buy it if I wanted it. The price is much better if you choose breakfast when you make your reservation.

I did have one little snag about breakfast. On my first morning, I decided to just have a cup of tea. I told the man who was managing the breakfast area and he said they would add it to my bill. (3 eursos) I sat with an American couple and drank my tea while they ate breakfast. When I paid my bill on the last day, I noticed that they had charged me 11 euros...3 for the tea and 8 for breakfast. The man at the counter said, "We don't know if you just had tea" I was pretty mad. Fortunately, another man was working who knew and liked me. He vouched for the fact that I only had tea.

If you have any more questions about the Persal, feel free to send me an e-mail or Private Message.