Hotel bargains in Spain

If my entries about Madrid spark an interest, you'll be happy to hear that Spanish hotel occupancy rates have plummeted this year, and so have prices.

According to a small item I spotted in The Independent, half the hotel rooms in Spain sat empty during the month of October. Fifteen percent fewer Brits have travelled to the country this year compared to last because of the poor exchange rate and questionable state of the British economy.

Madrid hotels have responded by slashing their rates by over 10% and a quick search on LateRooms.com shows 5-star rooms available for under £100, while plenty of 4-star accommodation is going for £50-60/night.

Hoteliers in Barcelona have also been reducing rates, but travellers to Seville and Granada plus pilgrims in Galicia will not find as many bargains.

We were perfectly happy with our accommodation, Hostal Puerta del Sol. For the price we were paying, we weren't expecting the Ritz but but we did receive a friendly welcome, a clean room and the most central location possible in Madrid.

I found the polished wooden stairs and heavy carved doors to be charming, not gloomy. Our room was perfectly adequate with a firm mattress, TV, ensuite bathroom and artwork on the walls. The bedding was good quality and was changed during our long weekend. A cleaner came by to keep the room tidy each day.

The room needed redecorating, some bath tiles were cracked and paintwork needed redone but everything was kept clean. They look after the place and it's secure as well, so it didn't feel seedy or dangerous at all. Our room was on the top floor but the lift worked fine, followed by one last flight of steps.

Breakfast was basic, but it's a foreign concept to many Spaniards so after a late night you'll be grateful for that piece of toast at 11am! Cereal, muffins, cheese and cold cuts were also on offer. Instead of fresh coffee, it's in a jug and you'll need to zap your cup in the microwave, big deal. At this price you're lucky to be fed. If I recall correctly, we paid about 45 euros a night for the room, which is a bargain for an en-suite in such a central location in a European capital city.

Madrid is a compact city and the hostal has a superb location on Puerta del Sol, the official centre of all Spain. The best sites (Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Prado, etc) and the best nightlife (La Latina, Huertas and Chueca) are within a 10 minute walk.

Puerta del Sol is a building site at the moment with a new train station being built underneath it, but we requested and received a quiet room with a window that looked over a small courtyard so had no issues with noise. It was great having a lively city on our doorstep, but out of earshot.