We are going in October for a few weeks and lodging is more expensive than I thought. Can one find decent places in the $150 a night range? Madrid, Sevilla, and Lisbon (Portugal).
Thanx.
Use booking.com’s price filter to see what is available, then book directly with the hotel.
H10 hotels are a Spanish chain which could be in your price range.
Don’t stay in the big cities bro.
What is we--couple, family?
I always start with Booking.com, especially because they have both hotels and rentals.
Prices should be lower away from the main tourist area. In Madrid for example the budget friendly SLEEP’N Atocha 2 star hotel by the Reina Sofía for a few days in October was about $150 a night.
Crisol Via Castellana, a 4 star hotel near Chamartín train station, for the same dates was $121 a night. It’s about a 15 minute metro ride from the Puerta Del Sol, but well within your price range.
I selected those hotels as examples because I’ve stayed at both. You simply need to spend some time researching what’s available.
Prices in those cities are probably a bit higher than the rest of Spain or Portugal, but I have been under $150 in each of those cities, with maybe Madrid being the toughest. On the trip I am on right now, I am averaging about $106 a night, but of your list, only Lisbon is included.
Look at Booking.com, I use it almost exclusively, always find a decent place...but my "decent" may be a dump for you.
It’s just my wife and I. Will start looking at booking.com
The IBIS budget hotels are good value. I've stayed in a couple of their hotels in Madrid.
Also, check the rates for different dates. It's possible there is a high demand special event in town for the dates you are looking for.
AirBnB for us.
What works for us.
Go to TripAdvisor and search for restaurants in that city. The map will show where they are concentrated .
Now we know where to search for AirBnBs.
For us, one of the questions to ask a prospective host is: how many steps up from the street (if no elevator).
While we can do 97 steps (Lisboa), we prefer fewer.
An important feature for us is: washer in unit. we travel very light on our 3.5 week trips.
Air BnB are popping up with good reviews. Is there a preferred neighborhood? We like walking and small shops, restaurants, cafes, markets, parks. Not planning on the big museums.
You may want to avoid this particular airb&b Madrid host -
https://www.today.com/money/airbnb-horror-story-reveals-safety-issues-lodging-site-t39091
We stayed at Hotel Europa in Madrid. Nice hotel, good central location, reasonable price.
EC’s comment reminded me that there are some conferences in Madrid approximately 18-25 October, so prices are higher than normal in the historic area. The price at the hotel we’re staying at in Madrid in late October is 80% higher than when we stayed at it in June 2022 and September 2023.