Well, I just got back from my first trip to Madrid. I used this board extensively along with the standard tourist books to gather information before going, I feel that I should post my observations. We spent 5 nights in Madrid and 2 days in Sevilla (I love the AVE train).

In Madrid, we stayed at Hostal Chelo. We were treated well there. I was forewarned about the smallness of the rooms and the bathroom, but I must say that this was still a shock. The water was unpredictable. I always happened to get warm water, but my companions did not. The shower pressure in the shower was intermittent and would go from strong to very weak suddenly. Overall, I was not overly impressed with Hostal Chelo, but I did not dislike it either.

In Sevilla we stayed at Hostal Arias, which was fantastic. I liken the rooms there to a slighly smaller version of a US motel. The rooms were well lit and clean. The bathroom was smaller than US but bigger than H.Chelo. The shower was excellent for both temp and pressure. I would definately recommend staying there if you are in Sevilla. The location is great also; right next to the Cathedral and close to El Barrio Santa Cruz.

Hope that this all helps. It was a great trip. Thanks for hosting this site MadridMan.