Had to choose between a hostel dorm and a sketchy motel in Madrid

I was in Madrid last spring and ran out of money after two days. I had 45 euros left and had to pick between a 12-bed hostel dorm with no AC or a motel outside the city center that looked like it was used for crime scenes. I picked the dorm because I figured safety in numbers. Turns out, my bunkmate snored like a chain saw and someone stole my flip flops. Has anyone else had a budget lodging choice backfire on them?

4 comments

4 Comments

fiona_young20d ago

Read somewhere that Madrid flip flops have a mind of their own...

terry_jones20d ago

Did you at least check the flip flops for bedbugs?

max41515d ago

Gavin's right about the hourly rate thing. That's the real test. I looked up the motel after booking the dorm and saw reviews mentioning "used condoms in the parking lot." So yeah, I made the right call. The snoring was bad but at least I didn't get stabbed.

gavin_hill2715d ago

...but did you at least check if the motel rented by the hour? That's the real test of sketchy. My buddy picked a motel once outside Barcelona, turned out it was only used for hookups and drug deals. He walked in, saw a used needle in the bathroom, and slept in his rental car. So which one had worse reviews on Google? The dorm or the motel?