Three weeks and counting to our next trip to Madrid. As usual,too many places to choose from, but the Hostal Adriano looks favourite at the moment,with Hotel Santander close behind. Can anyone give me any details of their stay at either of these places??

[ 01-14-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

I'm also looking for information on Hostal Adriano. I'll be staying there mid-March, and because I'll be there for over 5 days, they want me to reserve a room with 50% of the total charge. Their Web site says 30%, but the e-mail I received asked for 50%. I'm not really excited about sending my credit card information via e-mail. Anybody have any experience with this hostel or this reservation practice? Thanks!

-Kyle

[ 01-26-2002: Message edited by: Kyle ]

Kyle,

I would never advise you to send your credit card information to anyone in an e-mail. This is the easiest way for it to get into the wrong hands. The only two ways I would use is the phone, or an encrypted form on the internet. You can tell if a page is secure by checking to see if there is a small yellow lock on the bottom of your browser. If it is there, then the page is secure. Otherwise, use the phone.

For this hostel, it doesn't appear they have a reservation form on their website, so the best advice would be to call them and make the reservation.

Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net

kyle its one night only. example if you reserve at a hostal for 5.000 ptas per night, for 2 wks, they should only ask you for one night 5000 ptas deposit.
go to the gran via 15. stay at any hostal there for one night- felipe V is a good one- its loud but that s okay for one night. then spend that first morning looking for something cheaper or better. make your list up beforehand.

mick nick, did you then stay at Hostal Adriano in Madrid? jimnal in a current thread HERE is asking about the same and it seems you were planning to stay there yourself. If so, can you give us some feedback? You'd be the first/only review of Hostal Adriano on the message board, it seems. Thanks!

Saludos, MadridMan

Okay! Well, I did end up staying at Hostal Adriano, and I have many positive things to say about it, but first I'll discuss the only negative. The building that the hostel is in is not extremely inviting - it's a little dirty, run-down, and a gigantic "SEX" sign hangs in the window of the shop next door. The hostel is four floors up, and there is no elevator.

Once you're in, though, everything is great. Hostal Adriano is the most colorful hostel I've seen on the Web. The rooms were slightly larger than I expected; they included a bed, dresser, desk, and private bathroom (also very nice). One of the two rooms I stayed in also had a balcony.

The people there were very friendly. I owe a big thanks to Alex and Javier for putting up with my horrible Spanish. The owner, Adrian, speaks English very well, but the other people I ran into there spoke very little. However, between their little English and my little Spanish, we never had much of a problem communicating, even if it was just "shooting the breeze." These two guys were genuinely kind-hearted people, and I felt very safe leaving my belongings (including my computer and camera) in my room.

Before I visited Madrid, I communicated extensively with Enrique, but I never saw him there. I wonder if he manages more hostels than just Adriano... I did end up paying the deposit via e-mail, something I had preferred not to do. Everything worked out well, though. Phone calls (even local) in Madrid do cost a small fee, but mine for the whole week totaled 3 euros. A phone line and information for dial-up internet service was provided for free, something I found very handy to let people know how everything was going without using a phone card.

All in all, I was very satisfied with my stay at Hostal Adriano. The location was great, the people were friendly, the rooms were clean and comparatively spacious, and the rate was reasonable for the quality of the accommodations. For 39 euros per night (for a single room with private bath), I'd definitely stay there again.

-Kyle