United World International Hostel

Not ambitious, but clean and friendly
I stayed here for five days in september. It is very small, no place to sit, drink or smoke, but is is a very nice hostel. Bathroom is very clean and the staff are overall friendly (it is a family business). Actually, we met one of the owners in the middle of the night in the famous chocalade cafe, a nice fellow from South America. Looking for small cozy hostels for meeting people, this is great, for facilities and luxury, this is not your spot. The Location is perfect. The Grand Via is absolutely the centre of Madrid, its location is something like around time square or picadilly circus. One tip. If you want to drink and hang out and meet young madrilanos at night, go into the park, placa espana, across the street wait after 11:30 p.m. and the park is full of young people, great fun!

This hostel is well located at the main avenue of Madrid. Staff is very friendly. Breakfast ok! But every morning there are long queues in front of the two bathrooms (included shower and toilet). So please take a shower in the afternoon after the cleaning time (from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- during this time you can't stay in the hostel). But all in all it was a nice, clean hostel with funny music in the morning.

I stayed in this hostel for a night in May 2006. The location is good (though very noisy), as well as their complimentary breakfast. However, the staff is not very fiendly (especially one guy who woke us up in the middle of the night to tell us that actually we could stay one more night because they had had a cancellation). The kitchen is very very small and crowded during "peak hours". It is the same with the 2 bathrooms (for about 20 people), and the toilets are not separated from the bathroom (but both are clean). Beware of bed bugs!

I came with ten friends and we had a blast. The staff were extremely friendly, as were all the other people staying there. We had free drinks the first night! The location was great; we walked everywhere. I would recommend this hostel to anyone.

This place is clean all right. They mop it up every hour or so. The rooms are relatively cozy and funky, even the round one with 14 beds or so. The location is superb, right near Metro and within walking distance to all shops on Gran Via, Sol, Royal Palace, etc. Then again, Central Madrid is pretty walkable in general. I cannot give the place 5 stars because there is very little room to socialize, as the only communal space is the tiny kitchen. People seem to commingle in the rooms instead. Also, they kick you out at noon for cleaning, which is not a bad thing by itself. They seem quite paranoid to keep it quiet in the evening, too, although the street noise from outside is loud enough to disturb sleep. But if cleanliness is important to you, make this place your pick.

There are two reasons you don't get the 5th star from me! The place is small, like the inside of a submarine, and has only two bathrooms (so there's waiting and twisting). Otherwise, what a great place to stay. What a location!

This place was excellent. I stayed here in June 2004, and was extremely impressed with what I found. The dorms are very clean and cozy, and all have a nice balcony view. The kitchen is small, but very nice. Breakfast is bread and coffee, but the atmosphere is relaxed and there are no limits. The bathrooms are extremely good, though there are only two, which means you'll more than likely be waiting in line. The bog [toilet] and showers are in the same room, which adds to the hassle, especially in the morning. My suggestion to beat this: enjoy the Spanish nightlife, stay out late partying, and then get up late, after the main rush for bathrooms is over! The family-staff are incredibly friendly, and security is pretty good. There are only small, coin-operated lockers, but with staff present at all times, you won't have too many problems. The location is excellent, too. It's quite close to the center of town, and right near a main point on the underground. Very handy! The place can get a bit crowded, and while I was there, the large number of Americans, "Typical Yankees," was a tad annoying, but everyone was still very friendly. I can definitely recommend this place, so make sure you book early!

The place is clean and the kitchen is nice, but it's really small and there are only two bathrooms for about 25 or so people. The location is also nice.

The cleanest and friendliest hostel I've been fortunate to come across!

Very attractive, brand-new, family-run hostel in a wonderful, bustling location. Everything is pretty clean and well-maintained. The only shortcomings are that it can be a bit noisy on the weekends, and it only has two bathrooms because it is so small. But overall, I highly recommend it. You'll feel at home there right away!