The 24 rooms at this well-run hostal have exposed brickwork, updated bathrooms and a look that puts many three-star hotels to shame. It also has terrific apartments (ageing in varying stages of gracefulness and ranging in size from 33 sq metres to 200 sq metres) with fully equipped kitchens, their own sitting area and bathroom – check www.apartamentosmadrid.info.
Larger apartments (room 51 on the 5th floor is one of the best) have an expansive terrace with good views over the rooftops of central Madrid. It’s a favoured haunt of writers (Günter Grass wrote one of his novels in room 53). Fabulous value all round.