My niece is heading out for a semester in Spain (I'm so proud of her!), but she will be spending a night in Madrid alone both outbound and return, to facilitate flights and meeting up with the other students. She would like to stay in a youth hostel, but I am having difficulty determining ones that will be easy for her to get to from the airport, and that are in a safe part of town for a relatively inexperienced 20 year old girl. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Winnipeg, Canada
111 posts
Look at the site below. You see description/reviews of the lodging and see directions on how to get to the place from Barajas airport.
Posted by
Redding, CA, USA
1568 posts
I will be checking these hostels for our trip:
Another poster posted this comment:
In Madrid, two modernized hostals that I like are Hostal Santa Cruz and Hostal Cruz Sol. They're in the same building on Plaza Santa Cruz, very close to Plaza Mayor and two blocks from Sol, but off the most travelled route, so they're nice and quiet.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Kathryne,
You might also have a look at www.hihostels.com/dba/Hostels-Madrid-list.php?lang=E&city=ES%7C0155 in Madrid. As they're part of a chain, the facilities tend to be fairly consistent and well run. They have three properties there so that provides some choice based on transportation and other factors. The Hostel staff are usually excellent in providing local travel advice (ie: getting to the airport).
You could also have a look at the Spain Guidebook for listings on budget Hotels. There should be a copy in your local Library or Bookstores or you could take a run up to Edmonds and use Rick's Library. The books will also provide good information on the best methods to get back and forth from the airport, local transportation, etc. Might be a good idea to pack one along for reference!
Hopefully your niece will enjoy the "Hostel experience". Staying in Dorm rooms is a bit different, especially as some are co-ed (not sure if that's the case in Spain?). One has to be somewhat "flexible"!
Cheers!
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
8 posts
Thanks all for the advice! I have a gift box ready for her that includes the Spain book (which will also be helpful for some travel skills reference material). Since she has been living in dorms for the past three years, I figured she would be quite comfortable with hostels. I really appreciate all the suggestions and will start doing some research!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Don't forget, JB..."hostals" in Spain aren't "hostels." They're small two-star hotels.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Kathryne....don't forget...in college dorms, you see a couple of students per room....dorms in hostels can have 8, 16, 20 or more beds in a big room! Hostel website listing will tell her what's available....many now have smaller rooms...2/room...but she'll have to make sure everything is locked up when she's not there. Unfortunately, none will be "easy" to get to from Barajas airport. Virtually all of central Madrid is safe...at least to the extent any big city is safe. But she'll require two, and possibly three, changes on the Metro to get to/from the airport.
Posted by
Redding, CA, USA
1568 posts
TY Norm. Appreciated all the help I can get. We have very good luck with staying in hostels during our previous trip. So far it is looking good for hostels in Portugal, Spain and Italy. Just a lot of research and reviews to weed through.