Hostal Rober en Madrid

A comfortable and inexpensive hostel on C/ Arenal

We stayed in Madrid for 4 days, 3 nights, and our base of operations was Hostal Rober. It was not a bad place to stay in for 3 nights, there were friendly people, enough space, and a private bathroom. The old woman who basically runs the place is super nice, taught me some Spanish, and we became friends. We never got to the tutearnos (does that happen w/ elders?), but when I last saw her, she kissed me on both cheeks. She is a sweet old woman who reminded me a lot of my friend's grandmother.

Now the other guy who works there - "Mumbles" - he is a piece of work. Basically, he's an old, bald Spanish man, and when he "spoke," you could understand one word of 15, if you are lucky! Ben, Pat, and Dave had no idea what he was talking about. Zeef and I, the only ones who knew Spanish, had poorly educated guesses. And the worst part is that he absolutely loved to talk! When we were trying to leave the hostel, and he was working, he just keeps you there, he's a long talker, except you don't have any idea what he's talking about!

It got so ridiculous the last night, he had us in the doorway, babbling about God knows what, that Dave and I burst out laughing at him, right in his face! I've never done that before, but I could not help it! I lost complete control! LOL!! Then he followed us out toward the steps, mentioned something about vermouth and cigarros, and went back in. When the door shut, I almost started crying I was laughing so hard! It was the hardest I have laughed in a LONG time!

Mumbles' most common word was "claro," which is just the definition of comic irony! I don't know if you could write a better character!

Unique Quality: We had a tiny balcony, on the 5th floor, which gave us a great view of Calle Arenal. It was small, only 2 people could fit comfortably on the balcony.

The bathroom was....well all I have to say is what idiot designed this bathroom? To the left of the toilet, there were less than 6 inches between the bowl and the wall, and in front of the bowl there was less than a foot until the bathtub. How exactly do you go to the bathroom? Well, it required some ingenuity.... putting one foot in the bathtub and sitting at an angle. Sorry to be so detailed, it's just that I can't get over how poorly designed this bathroom was! (Our friend's bathroom was fine, we got the dumb one).

In the shower, you had a long tube with a showerhead (common) but there was no hook or stand for the showerhead! So you had to hold it the whole time you were showering. Really annoying! LOL.

As for location, you are close to everything. 2 blocks from the metro station, and very close to C/ Huerta, el Corte Ingles, the shopping district, Puerta del sol, PLaza Mayor, and a little bit longer walk to the Prado and Reina Sofia museums. We also walked to the Palacio Real. No cab necessary. There is also an e-cafe right around the corner where you get a lot of internet time for less than 1 euro.

The room was very comfortable, we had a TV, a small desk, and a bureau, space enough for 3 guys, and I forget how many euros it was, but it came out to $33 per night per person. Not bad at all.

• Opinion of Price: least expensive
• Related to: Study Abroad, School Holidays, Budget Travel

Hostal Rober en Madrid Photo: Pat standing on the balcony at Hostal Rober

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