I am staying at the Hotel Los Condes which is in the heart of the old city of Madrid. The hotel is very nice and clean and the staff are very friendly, pity I don´t speak Spanish and they speak very little English but that is my fault. The only drawback is that the area is slightly seedy especially at night. Nothing much to worry about, no prostitutes etc. It is just off the Gran via near the plaza Callao. It is a street full of bookshops and it is fun watching all the students lining up to buy and sell their books.

The rooms are small and the hotel is very noisy because of the way it is built. The breakfast when I first came was a bread roll, one portion of margerine, one portion of jam and some toast in a packet, most unsatisfactory. It has improved a great deal in the second week with cereals and a selection of fresh fruit and toast you can make yourself. All in all I like it because it is ideal for exploring the city.