Hi everybody, I�m going to Madrid for a student exchange for about 5-6 months. I�m leaving in a month and a half, however I�m don�t have a place to stay... I�m still hesitating between a student residence and an apartment. So I need your help!! What do you recommend?? Apartment or Student residence?? ...and which one???
I found a lot of student residences on the internet however I don't know where to go for apartments? So if there�s any links that you recommend, please post them�!
Not sure why nobody else has popped in here so far to give ya some good advice on this but I am here for ya
Well, this is a tough question. It really depends on the level of independence you wish to have while here. Like anything else, both situations have positives and negatives.
Finding your own decent and reasonably priced place to stay can prove a BIG challange here in Madrid, just look through the accommodations related threads on the ACCOMMODATIONS FORUM for examples of this, and many students opt to take the housing offered by their study abroad programs due to this.
If the stay is for only 5-6 months, often times it is best to take the student residence since finding an apt. (or shared apt.) for such a short period of time can be difficult. Many people who have rooms to rent out in their apts. will ask you for a 1 year commitment or longer.
Where will you be studying? What school? in What area?
If you let us know some specifics we can help you more.
As Jer mentioned, it really depends on the level of independence you wish.
If you are pretty flexible about that, I agree that it might be better to stay in a student residence. During my school year there (87-88), we arrived in late August and stayed in Colegio Mayor Chaminade for a month, then needed to find our own places to reside in until the end of May.
I waited a little too long to start looking for a decent place, and it cost way too much of my free time and shoe leather to find it (and it was all the way across town).
Had I to do it again (especially if I came at half year), I would probably stay in a colegio mayor and enjoy my free time seeing Madrid rather than piso hunting.
Just a thought.
"An honest man is always a child" - Socrates ...no wonder I'm so immature!
Hello. I saw this thread a couple of days ago, but out of respect for Jer and the fact that this subject has been covered recently I decided to wait. Okay. Some of the options that exist now in Madrid are contacting the colegio mayores or residencias and evaluating their total price for room and pension completa. If they give you enough in the way of food and services it could work out better than buying food out on the streets. Next, if you want more independence you can try contacting private owners who run their own apartments like a residencia allowing short to long term rentals, like Urbano Carpio near Plaza Castilla/Chamartin 609-570-055 or Paula Herranz near Arguelles 660-832-565. Also, if you do not mind paying for assistence to make the search process a whole lot easier you can try using an accommodation findig service (Not the bogus "Centros de informacion" that appear in the Segundamano mnewspaper). If you choose to use an accommodation finding service and want to speed things up, you can e-mail your request directly to them the day before you plan on arriving in Madrid. Any earlier and not much can be done since availability changes daily and you have to be here to see the accommodation and be be ready to put a deposit down if you like what you see. Cheers. Rocco.
[Madrid Rooms: Furnished rooms in flats with shared kitchens & bathrooms.][Spain Directory: Your Spain Yellow Pages.][ Sponsored by: www.madridinsider.com: Free Madrid & Do it Yourself information.]
Posts: 881 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 08 November 2002
I just wanted to thank you for all your help and advices. The links that you gave me are very useful. I'll probably use one of those accommodation agencies to find me a place downtown Madrid. Once in Madrid I�ll be glad to offer you a good cold beer! :cheers:
Seriously though, no need to wait on a thread to answer after me, please feel free to pop in anywhere and at any time. After all, it lightens my load and your input is very good as you are the "Madrid Insider".
Where will you be studying? What school? in What area?
The school I�ll be attending is called Instituto Europeo Di Design (Italian school based in Milan) and I�ll be studying Industrial Design... not a lot people know the school, however since you are a graphic designer I�m sure you heard about it. It's located on Calle Larra near Bilbao metro sation� I guess that's the closest station according to the maps I�ve checked. I found a student residence very close by the school it's called Alca��iz residencia de Estudiantes.(Argensola, 9) Have you heard about it? I tried getting some info on the net but they don't have a web site I guess I would have to call. But if you have any info or opinion about this residence I would really appreciated it if you let me know.
...since you are a graphic designer I�m sure you heard about it.
...well, 1 out of 2! I have heard of it by name only but I am not graphic designer. I am honored that you called me one however I have never formally studied graphic design, web design, programming or anything else related to computers, just self-taught on all of this stuff
I envy your opportunity to study design there and would love more info on the school if you don't mind posting it. Maybe you could start a new thread on it in the "studying and student life..." forum.
Truth is I would love to take some courses in design but I just don't ever seem to find the time, multimadrid eats it all up
Hey Toby, Congrats on coming to madrid, it is such an amazing place you�re going to love it. i thought maybe i could tell you a little about my situation and it might help you out. i came in late august for my year here in the country and, similair to another replier to your queery, i had to move out after a month of living in a residencia by finding my own apartment. I don�t know if you�re looking into a residencia of spanish students or international students, but the one I was at (colegio mayor de santa mar�a europa) is a spanish residencia... i met a few really incredible spanish friends there, and the times i go back now i think of how much fun it would be to live there because it is such an awesome link to spanish students. as far as independence goes, i didn�t think there was a curfew or anything, maybe the rules are different during the school year anyway, so i found an apartment through segunda mano with a due�a, the situation was ehh, okay... to be honest, i had more freedom while i�ll lived in the residencia, because i was not allowed to have guy friends in my room while living in my apartment (so common here). but i just moved out to a new apartment because i didn�t like the situation i was in. for me, this latest move was a stupendous choice for me, i�m now living with two students, one of which is spanish, and i�m much happier and have more of that "libertad" i was craving. but i do know some people that haven�t had as much luck finding apartments, it�s totally a luck thing. you could be looking for days or a few weeks... it all depends. as far as it being super expensive, compared to southern california prices, it�s so cheap here!!! it would be a lot cheaper to do the apartment thing as well, because the residencia usually comes with the services of clothes washing and food and such.
jer i think you mentioned that most people want you to make a year long committment if you�re going to rent out a room in an apartment, i haven�t found that to be a big problem. i have 6 months left and that was okay for my new situation, and barely any of my friends here studying have had to sign contracts, you can leave when you want as long as you give a heads up (the polite thing to do anyway).
i suppose in summary i suggest not to rule out the residencia, it could be an amazing experience, just find out their "rules" about "independence" first, curfew, opposite sex upstairs and what not... an apartment could be just as fun, but it could also be not what you�re looking for. if you go for apartment hunting, don�t settle for anything, choose a place you really feel comfortable in and a place where you get a good vibe from the landlord. don�t let stressing out to find a place make you settle! plus, since you�re here for so short, you probably would have a lot harder time finding a new place if the first one didn�t work out, so make sure you like it a lot!
i hope that helped and didn�t confuse you more. bilbao is a really cool area by the way. i�m excited for you!
loving madrid, Deanna
Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. -Miriam Beard
Posts: 12 | Location: Palos Verdes, CA, USA | Registered: 19 October 2002
Hey Deanna, where ya been hiding , that post ROCKED!!!
Your's was some of the best first hand insight I have ever read, I thank you in the name of future seekers of this invaluable info. I am sure Toby will be very grateful as well.
quote:
jer i think you mentioned that most people want you to make a year long committment if you�re going to rent out a room in an apartment, i haven�t found that to be a big problem.
Glad I was off on that, at least in your case. I guess I really wanted to say that the longer your stay, the better your chance of finding a nice and reasonably priced place since I still think that most will want a year out of you (6 months minimum). The people who live in places and rent rooms or own apts. themselves do not like to look for a new roomate ever 4 months, it can be a headache. It also depends on the time of year you are looking, if you look in the off months like June, July & August and find loads of places, you will have more leverage to not have to commit to a year. I think, as you said, it is a luck thing and you were lucky enough to find people who did not need a commitment.
Stay well Deanna and don't be a stranger on the board.
Hey Deanna, Thanks for sharing your experience with me and all the readers, cuz like Jer mentionned your post ROCKED!!
So i decide to go for a student residence! The residence is called Residencia Arti, it's rigth on Gran Via which i think is the "street" of Madrid. It's a bit expensive but it includes 3 meals a day so i don't have to do any cleaning and cooking I hope that i made the right choice and i'm sure that the food will be good ...and Jer i'll definately be at your next gathering (if it's ok with you) cuz i'm ariving in Madrid on the 18 th of Febuary and know nobody in Madrid.
So thanks everybody, for all your help and advice.
Hey Toby_23, of course you are welcome at our gatherings, no need to even ask. Just keep an eye on the board for updates and posts on new get togethers.
You wrote...
quote:
"It's a bit expensive but it includes 3 meals a day so i don't have to do any cleaning and cooking"
WARNING: It is my experience that it is best to choose 2 meals a day (media pensi�n and not 3!!! Take this for what it is worth but the "meals" at your student residence will probably not give you a taste of Spanish gastronomy. If I were you I would take breakfast and dinner at the Residency and do lunches out at a "Men� del D�a" restaurant or similar as you do not want to be tied to the residence and have to retunr for every meal. If you pay the 3 meals a day (pensi�n completa) I have a feeling that you will not eat lunch their most days. You will find yourself throwing that money away when you could save it and use it to eat lunch out with the MANY new friends that you will make here. Just picture yourself out at school and then your friends are planning to go to a restaurant for a nice 7� (Euro) typically Spanish meal, you will not want to pass that up and it will happen more than you think, trust me. In my opinion you will end up eating luch out most days and the money you pay for the lunch at the residency will go to waste. If it is too late to cancel and change the 3 meals a day plan to 2, you should at least have the choice to be able to opt out of "pensi�n completa) when you arrive and feel things out. Remember, Madrid has sooooooo much to offer as far as gastronomy is concerned and if you eat out at lunchtime, you will also avoid the cooking and cleaning One last thing, if you take the 3 meals a day and then go away for a long weekend (or even longer), the money you paid for those meals will go to waste. You are also going to find yourself out at night eating dinner or having tapas a lot and not wanting to head back to the residence to eat dinner. Getting up from a table at a caf� with friends and telling them that you have to go to the "dorm" to have dinner is not something that you will want to do when they are all eating tapas amd "raciones" ("portions") of some great Spanish dishes.
I could go on and on but just plan to spend very little time at the residence. Madrid has SOOOOOO much to offer, you will find yourself at the residence less than you think.
One follow-up question for Deanna, when you were at the Colegio Mayor de Santa Mar�a Europa did you have a meal plan...
1) alojamiento y desayuno (accommodations and breakfast only). 2) media pensi�n (accommodations, breakfast & dinner). 3) pensi�n completa (accommodations, breakfast, lunch & dinner).
...or did you do meals on your own??? I think your insight would help Toby_23 to decide wheter or not to take 3 meals a day there (pensi�n completa).
Hey Toby! Congrats on choosing the residencia! you�re going to have an amazing time. And hey I�m glad you guys liked the post, happy to help! So, about the meal plans... I didn�t have a choice with my meal plans, with the program I�m on we had to pay the pensi�n completa (3 meals a day)... to be honest, it wasn�t so bad, because I had class in the morning until 2, at which point I was STARVING (still used to 12pm lunch time!) so i�d get back to the residencia and scarf the not so great spanish cafeteria food. BUT HERE�S THE THING (OJO!! as the spaniards would say! haha) ... I honestly think having the three meals a day really kept me from going out and trying the gastronomy Madrid has to offer. Since I already had food paid for, and I went to school with all Americans for that month (prep language class for the all spanish school year), instead of going out and checking out tapas and raciones and all that menu del d�a good stuff, I opted to go back to the residencia for the meal plan with my new American friends. I didn�t really get out there and try stuff till I had my own apartment and was forced to. Lame, I know SO... if you do stick with the three meals a day, DON�T LET IT KEEP YOU IN THE CAFETERIA RUT! To be honest, I think media pensi�n is good... since it�s cafeteria style, you probably won�t WANT 3 meals a day (Jer�s right, the food tends to not be the best representation of what Spanish food has to offer), and it will force you to get out there and try those bars that kind of scare you at first with all the trash on the floor... it�s a good way to put yourself out there. and since you only have a few months here, you have no time to waste eating in the residencia! So if you can change it, that would be good, you�d save money, make your taste buds happier, and force yourself into the culture even more. Food here is culture Hope this post was just as helpful!
Deanna
PS: What gatherings are you guys reffering to? I�ve never heard of any multimadrid gatherings Let me know, I might wanna check it out!
Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. -Miriam Beard
Posts: 12 | Location: Palos Verdes, CA, USA | Registered: 19 October 2002
but I am here for ya 
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at 
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at 
The residence is called Residencia Arti, it's rigth on Gran Via which i think is the "street" of Madrid. It's a bit expensive but it includes 3 meals a day so i don't have to do any cleaning and cooking 
... I honestly think having the three meals a day really kept me from going out and trying the gastronomy Madrid has to offer. Since I already had food paid for, and I went to school with all Americans for that month (prep language class for the all spanish school year), instead of going out and checking out tapas and raciones and all that menu del d�a good stuff, I opted to go back to the residencia for the meal plan with my new American friends. I didn�t really get out there and try stuff till I had my own apartment and was forced to. Lame, I know 
SO... if you do stick with the three meals a day, DON�T LET IT KEEP YOU IN THE CAFETERIA RUT! To be honest, I think media pensi�n is good... since it�s cafeteria style, you probably won�t WANT 3 meals a day (Jer�s right, the food tends to not be the best representation of what Spanish food has to offer), and it will force you to get out there and try those bars that kind of scare you at first with all the trash on the floor... it�s a good way to put yourself out there. and since you only have a few months here, you have no time to waste eating in the residencia! So if you can change it, that would be good, you�d save money, make your taste buds happier, and force yourself into the culture even more. Food here is culture 
