First time in Espana — am looking to explore Madrid (2 days: Jan 14-16) and wine region (Jan 16-18 >Ribera del Duero).

Spent first jet-lag night reading hundreds of reviews, after made a prelim reservation at Hotel Carlton from u.s... Now i WONDER...

These Hostals sound so individual and REAL... but i have no experience in Spain (and other countries vary from wonderful to dicey). I'm down to a few choices and wondered if anyone had experience-based advice.

1) hotel Carlton (us$230 for 2 nights): [+] good bet for comfortable bed, security and location, good comfort/luxury value. [-] EXPENSIVE.

2) Hostal: in general...
[+] value, charm, more authentic experience.
[-] (aka "fears") > bad bed/backache, lugging too much luggage up many stairs, too noisy, unsafe, yucky.

3) Specific Hostals considering
(in order of how good they seem):
- First: Hostal Adriano.
- Second: Hostal Lopez; Hostal Gonzalo; Hostal Aguilar.
- Third: Hostal Persal; Hostal Aresol; Hostal Santander; Hostal Castilla.

4) Have enjoyed wines from Ribera del Duero... will drive up there... any advice on places to stay ... and wineries to visit? My favorite is Pasquera, and their secondary product, "Haza" (beautiful wines)... other than that, i'm an oinnocent.

I'd welcome any advice from experienced madrid/Spanish wine traveller/explorers. Thanks much..

As to the Hostales-I have not stayed in any of those mentioned except the Adriano.

I have stayed at Hostales Villar , San Isidro , Tineo , Monte Carlo, Playa and Hotel Zurbano. I have been in rooms at Hostales Esmeralda (I know the son of the owner), Astoria and Hotel Asturias.

In my opinion, Hostal Adriano is at least 50% better than anything I have stayed in. The only caveat is it is less space than a full blown hotel and you have to walk up 4 floors, as there is no elevator. The furnishings and decor far excede anything you will find in the better hostales in Madrid. The service is simply the best, bar none in Europe.

I used to stay at the Hostal Persal on previous visits. It does have elevators so no problem with your luggage. I always found it clean and safe and the multi-lingual staff were helpful. My only criticism is that I feel it´s become a bit expensive for what are basic rooms. If you can get a low season price however it might be a good place to stay.
As for the Ribera del Duero, have you considered staying in Valladolid (which is quite close)? It´s just that I know of an excellent place which I found to be better than many hotels. You can look on www.hostalparis.com When in the area try the tapas to go with the wine... I´m certain you won´t be disappointed.
Have a great trip!!!

I have stayed at Hostal Lopez and Hostal Chelo . I will be staying once again at Hostal Chelo in February. I prefer Hostals over hotels in Madrid because they are more personal and a great value. Expensive hotel rooms are best at resorts like Sea Island when you will actually be spending some time in the room.

Hostal Chelo is basic, my bed was comfortable, there was hot water, heat and it has an elevator. They are very accommodating and a single costs somewhere around 30€. The Gran Vía metro stop is about a block away and there is a wonderful bakery between the Hostal Chelo and the metro.

Hostal Lopez is close to the Prado Museum/Retiro Park and costs a bit more. It does not have an elevator and we had problems with our keys opening the front entry door. The Antón Martín metro stop is 4 or 5 blocks away.

Hostal Adriano looks interesting, but I will continue to stay with Antonio and his family as long as they have a room. Hostal Adriano is on my reserve list should Hostal Chelo be unavailable someday.

You do not need experience to use the Hostals. I did it on my first trip to Spain and I was traveling with two kids. None of us spoke much Spanish. It was a great part of our adventure!!

Hope you have a wonderful trip!!