After seeing positive reviews here and in Let's Go Spain and Portugal 2007, I booked a room at the Hostal Antares for two nights in Granada. I was hoping to find a cheap, basic, private hostal room for our stay....
When we arrived, I noticed that the comforter was COVERED with HAIR! I pulled it back hoping that the other layers would be cleaner, but each layer (3 blankets and 2 sheets) were filled with hair (from all parts of the body). I talked to the owner and asked him for new sheets. He went and got a new set, but they were completely full of hairs as well. He started cursing and explained that they had a new cleaning lady who had only been working there for two days and that he was going fire her immediately. He left for a while and came back fuming...He said that he looked through ALL the sheets and blankets and they were ALL FULL OF HAIR! He gave us new sheets out of a plastic bag, but didn't have clean blankets (SO WE HAD TO USE THE HAIRY ONES). He also explained that he had just called the cleaning lady to fire her (which made me feel really uncomfortable! If it were me, I would have talked with her and given her another chance...And although I respect his decision to run his business as he chooses, I don't want to feel responsible for someone losing their job while I'm trying to enjoy my vacation). After giving us the new sheets, he did not even offer to help us make the bed! He just left!

(Also, there were only two other guests in the hostal. I find it hard to believe that the cleaning woman who had been there for two days had washed all of the sheets in a near-empty hostal! In other words, I think the dirtiness goes back farther than her employment.)

Aside from not feeling relaxed in our dirty room with dirty blankets that we tried not to touch, there are a few other terrible things about this hostal:
1. The heater is automatic (controlled by the owner), which means that it is turned on at 10pm (not sooner) and was turned off around 5 am. Personally, I like to turn on the heat when I'm cold, when I'm going to take a shower, etc., which did not fall within his hours of usage.
2. The SHOWERS were ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. There were two on the floor where we stayed (1st). In one, the piece holding up the shower head was broken, so it pointed directly at the wall and could not be moved. In the other, there were INSECT EGGS!
3. We happened to be alone on our floor, but when he came in and out, it echoed a lot. I can only imagine the noise level if there were more guests!

Really, really, really, DON'T STAY AT THIS HOSTAL! IT'S AWFUL!

We stayed in the Hostal Antares because it was in a nice location and it was a lot cheaper than other hotels in the same location, and it had a private bathroom for 40€ a night.
Indeed, it has an excellent location close to the Moroccan street (full of little shops and nice coffee shops), close to the main plaza, and close to nice neighborhoods that have good views of the Alhambra.
Our room, in a 9th floor with no elevator, was small. The TV didn't work and the bed sheets were not clean. But they changed them.
Overall, for the price and location, I think I would stay there again.

Antares location is excellent, right in the center, close to the cathedral and the Alhambra bus stop. Also the airport bus stop is only a few meters away. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The rooms are perfectly okay and clean. Only at night it can be pretty noisy. For 5 Euros extra you can have air condition.

This hostal is central to all tourist attractions in Granada. The accommodation is clean, comfortable and inexpensive.The Salinas restaurant nearby is one of the few which prohibits smoking.