I recently stayed in two Hostals that I found info on through this board, so i thought I would let everybody know what I thought of them!

Hostal Levante , Barcelona: This hostal is right in the heart of the gothic quarter. This was good, but it made it hard to find, the taxi I took from the bus station could not get on the street, because it is pedestrian only. This made it a little difficult to get to. The are it is in, is fine during the day, and for the most part, at night. At night, I felt safe in a group, but due to some shady characters in the area after dark, I did not feel comfortable by myself.
The room was fine... I had an economic without bathroom. The room itself was very clean, my only complaint here is that the door would not shut all the way, and the lock looked a little unsure. The shared area on the floor, and bathroom, were ok, not great, but fine for a short stay. I have a feeling that the rooms on the main floor, standard and superior with bathrooms, were a lot nicer. The reception desk was very helpful, and the security system seemed good. You have to turn in your key everytime you leave the hostal though, a little inconvenient.

Hostal Martin , Madrid: Great Hostal! On Calle Atocha very close to both the train station and a metro stop. VERY easy to find. Within a reasonable walking distance to Plaza Mayor. Very quiet at night. The reception area was beautiful, very secure and safe building. The room was also great..TV, phone, very clean bathroom. Clean towels everyday. VERY helpful staff. I would highly recommend this place.

I would be willing to answers questions about either hostal, just ask!

I'll be staying at Hostal Levante in August. Can you suggest the best bus route from the airport, and walking directions from the closest bus stop? Thanks!

j3p, if you don't get a response about bus from airport to the hostel (I doubt many people have made this trip by bus -- one would probably have to change several times and local bus routes can be especially confusing and convoluted) you might consider instead taking the metro (does the metro even go to the airport??).

I would also recommend sending an email to Hostal Levante and asking directly. I'm sure they would know. Good luck!

I also see that Hostal Levante STILL shows prices in last years pesetas.

Saludos, MadridMan

You can get a train from Barcelona airport which is pretty quick and easy, and then you can change at Sans or Placa de Catalunya for the Metro. There is also now a bus that goes from the airport, but I've never used this because I always take the train - the station is just to your right as you leave the arrivals building and well sign-posted. I guess it is a bit of a hassle if you've got lots of bags, because you have to got up some stairs (although there is an elevator) and then walk along a tunnel that has one of those "moving walkways" - you know, where you have to stand there and just move along really slowly and trip up right at the end (this one also has the added joy of going downhill as you reach the station). Maybe I should have taken the bus after all!

I've just got my guidebook out, and it says "The convenient Aerobus service links both terminals with Placa de Catalunya via Place d'Espanya and Gran Via de les Cortes ... The service operates in both directions, from early morning until at least 10pm. The journey time is about 30 minutes." I think my logic in getting the train was that you can get a 10 journey or all-day ticket, but as you are several zones away from the city centre it turns out they are actually quite expensive from there. Better to go into town and get this kind of ticket for one zone only.

The main Placa de Catalunya station is at the top end of the Ramblas, the Liceu metro station is in the middle, and Drassenes metro is at the bottom (Port Vell) end. I think there are also one or two metro stations dotted around in the heart of the Barri Gotic.

I think some of the taxi drivers might make an attempt to drive up the backstreets, the one I used to find my hostel (NOT the Levante) in 2000 got me to the end of the street before finally giving up! Anyway, I am sure MadridMan will now want my review of the place. Well, I affectionately know it by the name of Hostal de HellOnEarth and I think that says it all. It was the New York youth hostel on Calle de Gignos and in fairness I got what I paid for because it was really cheap - 1,900 pesetas in old money, plus 200 pts for sheets (I kept the bill as a reminder of where not to stay) - and let's just say it was functional. Anyway, it was too noisy for me, the dormitory was mixed and the area was just too seedy at night so I booked myself out the next day and straight into the Best Western Hotel Regina which was happily just round the corner from my very favourite Cortes Ingles on Placa de Catalunya.

Now, I've since discovered to my unrelenting delight that this Cortes Ingles has a rooftop restaurant, and this is where I found myself when I was on the hunt for the loos and Christmas presents last December. It was a sunny afternoon, and so as a truly British tourist I ordered myself a te con leche, took a panoramic photo for the folks back home, and elected that very spot (to pick up a thread from one of your other message groups) as my most favourite place anywhere in Spain.

[I was going to insert the photo here, but I don't know how to do it.]

Sonia

Sonia, you went from a backpackers youth-hostel in Barcelona @ 1,900 pesetas/night to the Best Western Hotel Regina @ 26,000 pesetas?? That's QUITE a JUMP in price and in quality of establishment!!

As for the photo, you can just post a direct link to where the photo is hosted.

Thanks for that review of the "New York Youth Hostel" in Barcelona. I did a search on Google, but couldn't find any info about it so your review is all the more valuable. Thank you.

Saludos, MadridMan

thanks for the help! I've already printed out a map showing the location, and I'll contact the Hostal. I'm also doing one of these big contrast stays--my last two nights back in Barcelona at the end of the trip are at the Fira Palace . I got a bit of a deal using Expedia , but it's still a few steps up!

Well, I guess that's only kind of part of the story. You see I actually went from the Melia Alicante to the AJ New York. And after my shocking brush with Spanish artwork in Alicante (see my second post under the Hostal Gran Duque topic ), the backpackers paradise was all just too much for me and I had to slink off back to somewhere more comfortable! Mind you, it's not stopped me from adding it to my portfolio of travelling stories to bore family and friends with.

Sonia