ı am the newest person what a pity that happened to stay that awful, rude and dirty hostal. I did not stay at a hostal I stayed at a prison. The owner of the hostal (young person) was not the wellcomer of the guests, he was behaving as if he were a guardian. they burn there an exhotic fume but you are unable to sleep because it stinks. they did not change the towels. They put a bar of used soap by other people. Hostal is very noisy and during the night because of the sirens you can not sleep. Not friendly and all of them are rude. ıf you want to be INSULTED, stay at hostal rifer.

We stayed in Hostal Rifer for 3 nights (mid-June 2008). I would recommend this place to any traveller looking for an inexpensive (46 euros per room/night, cash only), safe, clean, friendly room in a FANTASTIC location. Couple of minutes from Puerta Del Sol (SOL metro), El Corte Ingles (Selfridges-like department store with handbags to die for:), zillion shops/restaurants/tapas bars around Calle Mayor and all major attractions within walking distance (Prado, Gran Via, Plaza Mayor, Santa Anna etc.). The Madrid tour bus stops just round the corner and is worth taking a trip @12 euros pp).

I booked over the phone, the owner (Michelangel) speaks English and is happy to assist with the usual enquiries. We stayed in room no 4 (2 single beds, en-suite shower and loo). Although sparsely furnished (e.g. no bedside lamps), it was very clean and bright; small balcony facing Calle Mayor was a huge plus (small, but enough to have breakfast there). Museum de Jamon next door is a MUST; fantastic coffee and a huge ham/cheese roll for about 3 euros (take away as well as eat in). Ok, some bad news - it is a really busy street, bustling with people and although the hotel is well situated on the 4th floor, be prepared for the noise (can be problematic at night). No drunken revellers though, it was mostly people chatting, cars honking, buses stopping etc. so we bought ear-plugs and this did the trick:) Also, with so many attractions around, we rarely stayed in.

Try El Abuelo restaurant (simple decor, but fantastic prawns & tapas); smoothies in a Coffee & Tea bar opposite; local specialities sold in stalls on Plaza Mayor (nb avoid overpriced restaurants around the square, we made that mistake once!).

Overall, a great value for money!!

I'd also recommend Rough Guide's Directions MADRID - it was great, lots of useful hints - helped us enjoy this visit.

Ewa

Rooms were small, but kept very clean. Things seemed to me to be more spread out in Madrid than in some cities in Spain, but Rifer is located very centrally to many of them. Plaza Mayor is a short walk away as is the Prada. There are many great restaurants nearby to try including a wonderful chocolateria (called San Gines I think...an absolute must while in Madrid).

The staff was very friendly. Its been over a year since I travelled there, but at the time from best I could tell it was a mother and son...or maybe just an elderly lady and a younger male. The lady is very sweet and friendly...speaks very little English however, but she tries her hardest. The male who was working there at the time had excellent English and was excellent help in making suggestions and giving directions.

The room as mentioned was small, had two single beds, a sink and the world's smallest shower. Be warned, if you are larger or have a disability...the shower might be a problem. I'm not the world's smallest person and had to keep my elbow's tucked in when showering. If I recall correctly on measurements...the shower was at most about 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 feet. The toilet was down the hall and was kept clean.

The only downside was that our windows didn't quite close all the way and some nights you could hear people on the street...but after all the exploring we did during the day we were so tired we passed our pretty quick anyways!

I believe we paid approx 26 Euro a night to stay here in April of 2003. If I travel Spain on a budget again I will definitely consider staying here again.