a bit disappointing
- March 1, 2009
- Rated 1 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
While this hotel is certainly centrally located there are many other hotels in the same area. The pictures on the website did not really match what we found when we arrived. The building is old, but we found small rooms, somewhat worn bedding and towels and
beds which were marginally comfortable. The most disappointing part of the stay however
was how unfriendly most of the front desk staff were. I am not sure if it was because our Spanish was limited but they usually seemed bothered by inquiries and on a few occasions
completely ignored us while we waited at the desk. We were also insulted by one of the
waiters in the dining room while he apparently did not think we understood what he had
said to us. It was surprising. Also, the website indicated that they had hair dryers in the rooms and so I left mine at home, only to find out that they had a few down at the front
desk which were not always available for use.
Twin Size Bed is their King Size Bed
- December 24, 2008
- Rated 1 of 5 by
gregory Im from fullerton, California
Last month (nov. 08) , we reserved this hotel with king size beds through Expedia.com. When we checked in, we (2 couples) were disapointed when our beds were twin size. Front counter clerk told us that in spain, it is king size!! I called expedia in madrid to U.S. with long distance call to complain. But no luck. Everyone who wants check in this hotel, make sure your bed is right size for you. Room was clean but my friend's room heater was not working. They offered a small portable electric heater which heat was not sufficient .
Editor Pick
Hotel Asturia
- September 23, 2005
- Rated 3 of 5 by
justinef from London, United Kingdom
We choose this hotel because we wanted somewhere that was fairly inexpensive but in a central location, and it turned out to be a good choice. It was located just off the Pueta de la Sol, one of the main squares in the city, which was signposted from most of parts of the city, making it very easy for us to find our way back to base, even after a few drinks.
The reception staff all spoke English, but having recently started learning Spanish, I wanted to practice, and kindly none of them corrected my pronunciation. The housekeeping staff only spoke Spanish, and one of our group members had some difficulty explaining to them that she had lost the key to the safe, but it was resolved in the end.
We had twin rooms, and there being an odd number in our group, I quickly volunteered to be on my own. The rooms were large but basically furnished and contained two single beds, a bedside table, a wardrobe, and a dressing table with a chair. All of the rooms were en-suite, but no toiletries were provided. It would have been nice to have had a fridge in the room, as due to the heat we needed to drink a lot of water. And it quickly became warm in the room.
The best feature of the rooms was the small balcony, which was just about big enough to fit one chair on. The view wasn't scenic, as the hotel was effectively on a roundabout, but it was good to do some people-watching from or to sit and read for a while.
The location on the junction of two busy roads also meant that it was pretty noisy outside of the hotel all of the time. People go out to eat late in Madrid and stay out until the early hours of the morning. Then delivery vans started arriving for the nearby shops at around 5 or 6, so not great for light sleepers. Fortunately, I was so exhausted each night that I did manage to get a few hours of sleep before the morning noise started.
Breakfast was included in the price of our room. Again, it was very basic, with some sort of pastry or cake that was very dry, a couple of slices of toast, and a very small choice of cereal. We didn't eat in the restaurant besides for breakfast, and with so many good cheaper places around the city, it seemed unadventurous. We did have a drink in the bar, which was pretty much just two tables by the reception, but even here they gave us tapas with our drink.
From journal Hen Weekend in Madrid
Hotel Asturia
- January 13, 2002
- Rated 3 of 5 by
rhiannon1968 from locarno, Switzerland
A two star hotel - simple but well-maintained - and especially in the heart of Madrid. it''s virtually a stone-throw to the Prado museum. All rooms have TV and telephone. What i liked especially was the fact that there''s a restaurant and bars on the primises: very handy when tired after a long day of exploring and visiting.
From journal small & big wonders of Madrid