Please advise on which one of these hostals in Madrid is the best and why.

( Hostal Persal , Hostal Adriano , or Hotel Plaza Mayor )

I know only the Hostal Adriano . A/C, refrigerator in the room, ceiling fan, fast and much hot water, many hooks, much storage, extra outlets, clean, modern, friendly, direct dial phones that take DSL, central location (100m to Puerta del Sol), Alberto, Enrique, Alex and Javier, beverages available, they will carry your baggage up to your room (until the elevator is ready), real art on the walls, English speaking...

I will follow up with more things as they occur to me.

I´m staying in the Hotel Plaza Mayor RIGHT NOW. It´s great. I stayed here for three weeks last summer. Clean rooms with air conditioning that all have windows onto a little square just off the Plaza Mayor (hence a great location). Friendly, helpful staff. Well-lit area, feels very safe at night. Elevator (about three steps up from lobby to it). Good prices. About 48 euros for a single, 70 for a double.

If you do a search you can see some of my other posts, singing the praises of this place.

I stayed at Hostal Persal 2 years ago and though I have no other comparisons to Madrid hostals..I loved the location, rooms were simple but adequate and very clean and the breakfast was a nice time to sit and plan the day. I believe that street is now a walking street which adds another plus.

I know that Hostal Adriano gets a lot of hype on this forum but I would advise you to stay elsewhere, at least until the renovation is completed. When we stayed there for 4 nights in mid March the place was a construction zone and looked to be that way for a long long time. The entire front of the building was wrapped in scaffolding taking up one sidewalk. Across the street construction materials were stacked obliterating the other sidewalk, so you were left to dodge cars in the street with your bags. The front entrance was ramped to allow wheel barrels and there is a continuous flow of construction workers carrying materials. The four flights of stairs were all torn up and dusty with holes in the floor covered with plywood.
Yes once inside the rooms are acceptable, but nothing special. During our stay in Spain we stayed at eight different hotels, all with bath, most in the $40-$50 range. Our room at Hostal Adriano was the smallest. Our bathroom at Hostal Adriano was 2/3s the size of the next smallest bathroom!
As a novelty you might want to check the place out just to observe the "old lady hookers" that hang out on the same block of C/de la Cruz as Hostal Adriano. I am serious, and at first I could not belive it myself! These ladies are in their late 50s and 60s and have apparently found an economic niche.
The location was great but there are dozens of other budget accommodations in the same area. Save yourself the hassle.

Hi RichardF!
Thanks for your feedback. You wrote: So don't keep us in suspense! Please give us your reviews of the other places as well. Remember, this is an ALL SPAIN Message Board. Start a new thread with your reviews if you like.

I'd have to guess one would be hard-pressed to find something in that $40-$50 price range nicer than the Adriano in MADRID or the other big cities though. You thought the IKEA furniture and refrigerators in all those colorful rooms was "nothing special"??? Wow. Of all the dozens of hostels I've toured in Madrid over the years I've never found one more stylish and tastefully decorated. But you're right, it is a construction mess outside the doors of the hostel itself.

Saludos, MadridMan

EDIT: Dude! I see now that you cut-and-pasted your exact posting in the other " Hostal Adriano in Madrid - March 2003 and hotels in Barcelona, Seville and Granada " thread!

My concept of "hotel vs. hostal" may be different from the rest of the world (Richard F?). I suspect there may be other "issues" behind his criticism. (He has C & P'd the same post at least 3 times that I know of!)

Construction, hookers and the like that happen outside the exterior door of a hostal are not the responsibility of the hostal. Construction is happening throughout Madrid, mostly due to the availibilty of EU funding. Hostals are typically grouped in buildings with other businesses and even private homes. If I am happy with the rooms and services, why do I care what happens outside those doors? (Obviously, apart from noise). If I want to be surrounded by an island, I will stay out by the airport.

I agree with Madridman and almost everyone else that has expressed an opinion, the Adriano has great amenities, better than other hostals in it's class.

I just received a construction update from the folks at Hostal Adriano. The new wing is 3-4 weeks from opening which will double the size. All the A/C is installed in the old wing, along with digital safes. The new wing will already have A/C and safes. (Now all they need to be perfect is CNN!)

The bad news is the exterior and stairs are still unfinished.

Also, Alberto assures me that they will be getting younger hookers as soon as the city approves the permits. (Just kidding!)