Cat’s Hostel Madrid was my first and favorite hostel I’ve been to. From the moment I walked in, until the moment I walked out it was an incredible experience. We made our way out of the Anton Martin metro stop and a block away on a side street was a little sign that just said Cat’s. We were immediately greeted by a drunken Aussie who asked us if we wanted to grab a drink with him… It was 11am. After filling out all the paperwork, in the bar, that’s attached to the hostel love, while sitting on fresh kegs, we made our way up to the room. Pass by the beer vending machines, up a massive wooden staircase, and through a beautiful stained glass ceiling atrium that is something out of a Indian Temple. 10 attempts later with the watch-key, we piled into our 14 person hostel. Our roommates were all still passed out from the night before. The AC was blasting (which was surprising) and the beds all had clean sheets while a cage/safe was tucked under each bunk bed. They sold us locks at the front desk for, 3 for €3, which we used on the rest of our trip. They even had some decent Wifi, which we all used to let our parents know we survived the first leg of the trip. After we wandered around the city for the day, we returned to the hostel to get prepare and pregame for our first night out in Spain. Luckily we didn’t have to go very far…Right back down to the bar in the lobby, where we got these big-ass beer cups for a few euro, along with our free drink ticket from the front desk.
If you want the true Meet-and-Greet hotel experience, then this is the place. We met travelers from Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, Australia, USA, and various other European countries. After an hour or so at the bar, we asked the girl at the front desk when the bar tour was leaving (yes, each night, Cat’s Hostel runs a bar tour to a bar or club in Madrid for a discounted price and free shots), she said 1 am. As Americans we were quite shocked, seeing as it was only 10PM and bars back home close at 1 or 2. So rather than stick it out, we walked over to the partnering hostel, Living Hostels, which had a rooftop bar that overlooked the city at sunset. A beer or two later we returned to Cat’s to see that everyone had gone down to the basement of the bar where it looks like an old tunnel in the dark that lead to a dance floor in the back. We met a Canadian guy who had been in Madrid for a month and he took us to an interesting Heineken and Tequila bar. A real local spot where we stood out like a sore thumb. After a few cheap Heineken buckets later… We came back to Cats again… Where we finally headed onto the bar tour in the City.
This all was my first experience at a hostel and it couldn’t have been a better one. They serve breakfast in the morning. The bathrooms & individual showers were clean and free. We ended up staying here for 2 more nights at the end of our trip. All these experiences and accommodates will run you the astounding price of €12-20 per night. The people were great, staff was friendly, beer was cheap, and the rooms were more than enough space.
Pros & Cons
-Individual showers
-Wifi
-bar in the hostel
-Cages/safes didn’t seem secure
-very diverse group of awesome people
-centrally located downtown
Hi there, my name is Zachary Kenney and I’m an adventure filmmaker & photographer. My passion is to tell stories that will hopefully motivate you to go live a more adventurous life. Whether that is to experience the view from the summit of a mountain, or wandering through a new town on a road trip. Currently based out of Park City, UT.
