I am traveling as frugal as possible, but still keeping in mind that the experience is worth the money. We are a young couple, looking for hotels in Madrid and Barcelona. Has anybody found any good/tolerable deals on hotels there? Or any places that they would reccomend for us? Price range hopefully 100$ a night or less, if that is possible.

Thanks a lot!!

Yu might want to check on www.madridman.com - I think both of those cities are not the easist to find inexpensive lodgings. Madridman has alot of hostel info - or you may want to check into an apartment. I am trying an apartment for the first time on my upcoming trip to Barcelona. Also if you can get outside the big cities for some of your stay, you will probably get more for your dollar too! Have a great trip!

At what time of the year ? Prices are cheaper in summer (though it is very hot here !) and you can find better deals. 100 dollars are only 63 euros right now, so it is a very strict budget.

Try eurocheapo.com

also the Hostal Campi in Barcelona would fit your bill. Nice people and great location and cheap, but no lift.

You have to realise that your budget in dollars will be a bit tight...hotels for less than 60 Euros a night will be not be luxurious. But probably clean and safe if you choose right.

Also I am a big advocate of priceline.com. I have bid and won several times in Barcelona a 4 star hotel (a/c, flat screen tv, lovely bed and bathroom) for less than $100 per night. But you won't be on Las Ramblas for that. So you take the tram to downtown, but it was great for the price.

What you ask is doable, but you need to gather some tips and hints from this board. Rouss

The one we recently stayed at in Madrid is Hotel Plaza Mayor. Kind of fun, funky decor, clean with decent-sized rooms, and it was a bargain at 95 Euros for a double with two twin beds. If you can rethink your budget a little, it's worth it.

Try Roommate hotels for Madrid. I stayed in the Hotel Mario and liked it. Generally good locations, clean and comfortable if not small. There was a May heatwave when I was there and AC was fine and we were comfortable.

IngatoSpain,
I've just spent the wkd. pricing out budget hotel rooms in both cities (job-related), and finding good deals for $100 US (double room) is going to be tough in '08. Hotel rates have risen this yr. in both cities as much as 15%.

For 100€ you'll find more options, if you can up your range.

And your options do depend heavily on your travel dates. It's super hot in late July & Aug., but as kenderina says, that's when you'll find the price breaks.

While I do love the Room Mate group, for prime time, high season their rates have risen to 150-160€, but if you can travel after July 17, I see rates as low as 90€ double at the Mario.
The Alicia and Oscar go for 110€ (due to their prime locations) and the Laura for 100€

I think the best "overall good value" hotel in Madrid is the above-mentioned 2 star Hotel Plaza Mayor.

www.h-plazamayor.com

Or the Hotel Miau, also with a/c, right on the Santa Ana square, which sometimes has rooms for 75€ (but ask for one on the side street).

www.hotelmiau.com

The best Madrid hostals, IMO:
Hostal Adriano and its new sister, the Hostal Adriá Santa Ana.

Rooms come equipped with a/c, high speed internet, private bath, in-room laptop-size safes, flat screen TV, mini-fridge, 24 hr. reception desk, but the Santa Ana outpost doesn't have an elevator (a 3 floor walk up).

www.adrianohostal.com
www.hostaladriasantaana.com

Also look at the rock bottom budget options at
www.30madrid.com


For Barcelona, I'd consider the Apsis Arenea, which often comes in at 98€ (except during major trade fairs). It's in a very safe area of the far right Eixample, near the Sagrada Familia with metro nearby.

www.hotel-aranea.com

Or the Regencia Colón in the Gothic Quarter, around the corner from the cathedral. During week DAYS (not wkds.), I've seen rates as low as 86€ double.

www.hotelregenciacolon.com

Another in the far right Eixample, the Hotel Viladomat, near a metro stop. For the dog days of Aug. I see rates here as low as 80€ (but not in July).

www.hotelabviladomat.com

Hope this helps!

My husband and I just returned from Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday. We stayed at the Hostal Cruz Sol in Madrid which was 60 euro a night. I would absolutely recommend this place, but watch out for plaza facing rooms b/c of the street noise.

We stayed at Hostal Girona, which has been repeatedly recommended here, also for 60 euros a night. I would stay at here again also, but it's a little far from the nearest Metro stop.

I neglected to say Hostal Girona is located in Barcelona.

I think the real problem you'll run into is that $100 is about 60e now. I'd check on venere and put in a price range that fits your budget today. The places we'd stayed at in both Madrid and Barcelona would be 50% more in USD than they were two years ago!

Thank you all soo much, you pointed me in very helpful directions. I am about to book some things this weeking for the June 1st trip!

-INGA

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Mora in Madrid because some friends had found it recommended in Fodor's. We advise everyone to avoid this place like the plague. Perhaps they rolled out the red carpet for Fodor's reps, but they treat everyone else like dirt. The ventilation did not work and the room was tiny and noisy. We have many friends in Madrid who tried to stop by or call but we never got those messages until our friends told us about them. When the hot water went off for a day, the desk responded to requests for information with insolence. The desk personnel lied about the phone fees. We have traveled often in Madrid and even lived there for a year while I studied literature at the Universidad Complutense. Madrid is a wonderful city but the Hotel Mora may be the worst part of it.

I should add to the previous message that we left after a week and found a nearby hostal for half the price of the Hotel Mora. Almost any hostal in that neighborhood is better than the Mora. We stayed at the Hostal Alegría, which we liked a lot.