Have any of you stayed here or heard reviews of this one? (web: Hostal Horizonte )

Hi

My wife and I stayed there in 1999 and had a love/hate relationship with the Hostale. We enjoyed the security that the building gave us, the cleanliness of the rooms and the size of the rooms. The owner, Julio wasn't there during our stay, but his sister was. She was very helpful apart from 2 things.

The first was that there wasn't any heating in the rooms and there wasn't any availbale (we stayed there in late November) and the second was the Hot water for the shared showers was a bit hit and miss. Sometimes it was very Hot and other times it was almost non-existant.

Apart from that we enjoyed our stay even though the stairs were a bit old and worn.

The area is great as you are only a maximum 15 minutes walk from Sol, Plaza Mayor, Atoche Railway Station, The Prado etc.

David

Hi there! Should we assume you're asking about the Hostal Horizonte in Madrid?? I didn't see the city listed in your posting.

Have you tried the SEARCH link yet? Check it out. Very useful tool for finding previous postings. Among others, there's the " Two hostal recommendations " thread.

I toured Hostal Horizonte a couple weeks ago while I was in Madrid. It's right on the Calle de Alcala (see the QDQ.com photo of the address HERE ) and a few blocks from the Puerta del Sol and Plaza Santa Ana. The streetside rooms face a nice-looking church. The bedrooms are pretty standard as far as hostel rooms go. Julio César Gamallo (like "Julius Cesar Gamallo"), the 20-something owner, is a friendly guy, kind of bohemian with long, straight hair, the artistic-type. In fact, he's a published photographer too. He speaks some English, answers all his own email/reservations, and seems sincere in wanting his guests to be comfortable. He's also renovating a number of the rooms and does all the work himself. I don't believe there is an elevator in the building, but it has a lot of charm, looks like (and believe it was) an old palace with high ceilings and original woodwork and tile floors.

Since I didn't stay here myself, I can't vouch for the overnight experience -- please refer to previous posters for that.

Good luck! And if you stay here, please please please return and tell us how you felt about it. Some of the previous posters had reservations there, but didn't return to tell us about it (this is usually the case) after their trip to Spain.

Saludos, MadridMan

'Just stayed at Hostal Horizonte last Friday night. (17 May 02)

Pluses - great location on Calle de Atocha, steps away from Plaza de Santa Anna. Julio is nice and helpful. Anton Martin Metro stop is also very close.

Minuses - Price. One night was 72 Euros for a double with bath. When I made the reservation Julio sent me an email with photo pushing what appeared to be a beautiful, special room. At 72/night, I thought it might be worth a splurge for our last night in Spain. The room was tiny (9'x11') and had no window. It was somewhat of a let down.

Hostal Lopez is a much better value!

Hi, I just stayed at the Hostal Horizonte for two very pleasant weeks. I had a room with double bed and shared bath (and a pretty nifty little balcony) for 36 Euros per night. I found Julio to be not only a very kind guy, but he (and not to forget his sister) were both very attentive and helpful.
As to any (supposed) hot water problems: I also had the experience that the water was, one morning, pretty freezy; however, instead of assuming that something just wasn't right with the hot water supply, I immediately went to Julio, who just as immediately rectified the situation. You see, the water in the hostal is heated with gas, which comes in a canister, which (like most canisters) eventually has to be changed when it's empty. Which it was (empty and changed), and two minutes later I had all the hot water imaginable to shower with. Granted, the hostal is no luxury hotel, but it is charming and so centrally located, and much care is taken that each guest feels comfortable. So, those are my two cents, I hope they are a help to those looking for a place to stay in Madrid.

Hadley

Many thanks for the up-date on the Hostel and the rectification of the Hot Water problem.

Unfortunately, for us, Julio wasn't there during our stay (he does speak good English), only his sister was, and although she was very helpfull in many ways, and a very nice lady, the joint lack of English on her part and a very large lack of Spanish on our part we weren't able to fully converse with her to explain the problem with the Hot Water and heating.

Apart from that we did have a great time at the Hostal, and as you have said the Hostal is no Palace, but it is centrally located and it is secure.

I know it was a while ago that we stayed there but have they finished the renovations yet?

David

here is an up-date on the Hostal Horizonte.

A report was placed on another bulletin board regarding the same problem at this Hostal. The Hostal was closed for a part of the 2001/2002 winter for additional renovation, part of which included heating.

So, I will be reconsidering my wife and my accomodation requirements for our next visit to Madrid back to the Hostal that we were 90% happy with.

David