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I finally admit that paying $60 for a hostel in Barcelona was a mistake
Everyone says hostels are the only way to go in Spain, but I spent $60 a night at a place called Sant Jordi near Las Ramblas and the noise from the street made sleep impossible. Woke up every hour to scooters and drunk tourists, felt like a zombie on my free walking tour the next day. Ended up spending extra on coffee and naps in parks, so the whole 'budget' angle just backfired on me. Has anyone else found that a cheap hotel outside the city center worked better for them?
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tylermurray4d agoMost Upvoted
Ditch the hostels near party streets altogether and look at pensiones (family run guesthouses) a few blocks off the main drag. I found a spot in Gracia called Hostal Fernando for $45 a night, no party vibe, actual quiet after midnight. The trade off was a 15 minute metro ride to the center, but I slept like a rock and the money I saved on caffeine and park naps more than covered the transport. Plus those little guesthouses usually have a kitchen so you can make your own breakfast and skip the $8 tourist coffee.
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taylor.paige1d ago
OH MY GOD yes, I feel your pain SO much! I had almost the exact same experience at a Sant Jordi in Madrid, the one near the opera house. The walls were paper thin and I could hear EVERY conversation from the room next door until like 4am, plus the street noise was nonstop. I ended up spending like $25 on earplugs and a sleep mask from a pharmacy and it barely helped. A cheap hotel outside the center sounds like a dream honestly, I think I'm done with the whole "hostel experience" for a while.
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