I expected more about this hostel, January 27, 2006
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I just come back from Lisbon and i spend some days at this hostel.esencially the hostel is ok, everithing is new because it was remodelled the last summer, the beds are comfortable, it has big lookers ,ist very clean, it has a bar, is open 24 h, the tube is in the same street, is in the centre and near to restaurants and shops.But it has things that i don´t like too much, for example:the hostel has no caracter, its like a hospital, the common room is quite small, the bar close at midnightand not all the staff is friendly.Ahh, and if you want to leave your luggage for some hours you have to pay 1.50.It is not a bad hostel but for my next time i will try with another one
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(Review ID: 5604)
Nice hostel but horrible town, January 8, 2004
Reviewer:
mrtodopoderoso@aol.com
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I remember reading in my travel guide that Lisbon was third world like city. However, once I arrived to portugal I realized that my travel guide was wrong, lisbon is not third world like, Lisbon IS a third world city. Thus, Many of the amenities that you are used to come to expect from European capitals do not exist in Lisbon. For example, there is no direct long distance train to metro link in lisbon, In fact the nearest metro stop and downtown Lisbon is about a 40 minute walk away from the St apolina train station. So, keep this in mind in case you decide to get a lapdance by some stripper named paris 30 minutes before your 2201 train to Madrid. Also, the free tourist map seems to be drawn by Bozo the clown, because the map uses M which every where else in the world is used to symbolized a metro stop to denote a bank called metropolitan. ¨Thus, spent about a couple of hours just wandering aimlessly chassing those M´s thinking that they stood for the metro(map did not have a legend either).Now to the hostel.I didnt really wanted to stay on this hostel because of its very bad ratings. however, i can honestly say that this is definitely one of the best hostels that i stayed in so far in europe. It was very clean and the reception staff were useful and friendly. bathrooms as well as showers are located outside the rooms. Also, this place is dirt cheap despite the high quality of the place. The internet i thought was pricey. however, internet cafes in lisbon are almost non existent and the ones that i did find close at 7pm. The negatives about this place is that being in a city as boring as lisbon the bar closes way too early, around 12 AM. Also, you only get one key per room. Thus, the room remains open most of the night.Location of this place is good, once you figure out where to take the metro, is located on the piacou station(Yellow line)
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(Review ID: 5605)
Warm, cheap and confortable, December 30, 2003
Reviewer:
Juan J. Segura Sampedro
( segusamjj@hotmail.com)
from Sevilla, Spain
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It's a great hostel, it is very cheap (about 10 or 11 euros), It is situated very near to all the zones of Liaboa and you can take the underground in the same street. They give you all the information you want and breakfast is included in the price
18 of
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(Review ID: 5606)
A nice staying, December 30, 2003
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friendly girl in the reception, nice people staying there (many australian!), clean rooms and a good breakfast. It was my last stop in europe and after paying around 20 euros for bad hostels in paris and barcelona, staying there was a relief! For 12 euros i had a good time and was very satisfy.
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(Review ID: 5607)
hostile hostel indeed, September 17, 2003
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Coming from the Lagos youth hostel, this was a real shock, and I don´t mean that in a good way. Staff is about as unhelpful, unpleasant, and disorganized as can be. Waiting 30 minutes to 45 minutes just to get your key back from reception while they sit on their asses and ignore you is routine. Bring your shower shoes cuz by the looks of the bathroom it hasn´t been cleaned in 3 years. There is also a lockout from 10:30AM to 5PM, god forbid you should want to take a shower mid-afternoon after climbing the hills of Lisbon in 35 degree plus weather. I hate this place and I would never come back here again. Location is good but all the BS isn´t worth it.
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(Review ID: 5608)
Not the best hostel in Lisbon, August 16, 2003
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I stayed here in July 2003 with 2 friends for a night. Staff were friendly enough, allowing us to leave our bags in a side room as we arrived while the rooms were being cleaned. We returned at 4 and were given the key to a 6 bed room. Downsides - our room overlooked some shabby houses, it was extremely hot and we had to keep the window open all night, so we heard the dogs from the houses across the way barking all night, until some madman decided to try and shut them up by banging a saucepan!!!! So very little sleep. We were not given sheets or pillow cases, however I think this was something we needed to have asked for! Bar area was OK - very cheap beer and a little atmosphere. Breakfast was edible, however milk was warm and cheese curled up a the edges. The lady also barked at us when we took too much!!! All in all, OK for a night, Catalazete YH (see review) was better!
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(Review ID: 5609)
Hostile for a hostle!, May 3, 2003
Reviewer:
Phillip
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We had just got off the train to Fishtown, when we were greated by a slippery little man named Gil. He barked at our clothing and tried to convince us to seek refuge elsewhere. We began to bargain with him and he would accept no less than 2 cod fish and an eel for one nights stay. Obviously this was too high a price to pay so we offered 3 clams, a herring, and a half trout. Gil quickly snatched our offering and jumped off the port, mercilessly ripping into his feast. With no bartering capability left, we were stranded in the middle of Fishtown, and took refuge in one of the many sardine like containers strewn about the rank city. It was awful. Don't go. Damn you Gil!!
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(Review ID: 5610)
can the staff be any worse?, February 7, 2003
Reviewer:
skeezer201@hotmail.com
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we arrived at this hostel after spending 8 hours on a night train from madrid, the hostel is quite a distance from the train station, but we still made an attempt. after a metro ride, we were wiped, so we got there and signed up for check in later that day. we proceeded to hang out in the common room on the couches, my friend reading and me just relaxing. the lady at the desk then proceeded to kick us out, saying that there is no resting in the common room and that we couldn't wait around, that we had to sit up straight and all this bull. later that day we went and checked out a pensao right on the square in downtown, we came back to the hostel, grabbed our bags and stayed there instead for the same price. it was a terrible hostel experience. there was a very nice man who met up with us at the train station, with a professional business card, and offering to drive you to his place. the move to this pensao was well worth it.
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(Review ID: 5611)
Comfortable and welcoming from the first moment on, December 21, 2002
Reviewer:
mg
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I have been to a couple of hostels within Europe and in terms of cleanliness, order and friendliness, I can't remember having seen one with better qualifications than the one in Lisbon.Located near a metro stop AND (which has been forgotten below) very near to a bus stop, this hostel makes the city center accessible insofar as one is willing to take the pain to ask around and inform oneself as to where to get the next bus or what corners to turn. Lonely Planet is not everything, and I think especially in a city like Lisbon it is important to contact the people even though one may risk been left standing with a puzzled expression. This never happened to me (although I was nervous in the beginning), people are very friendly and helpful. Especially one, but that is another story...For sure, it is more subjective and often there is luck involved when it comes to giving an opinion on the atmosphere in the hostel. Not to forget, one's impression is often dependent from the order the roommates help create in the room itself. But for the days I was there, the strictness of the cleaning personnel proved that the rooms were - and the bathrooms, I thought, also - cleaned on a regular basis (meaning, daily).I would share the previous critique below on the "social scene": there are various places to go close by, and if one decides to go farther then grouping up in a taxi can lower those prices to a minimum, too. So to you below: I beg to differ. If judging by this hostel, then yes, I would say Portugal's hostel (and hostel employee) scene is one of the better in Europe.
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(Review ID: 5612)
Could be better, could be worse, November 12, 2002
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Anonymous
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This is a fairly large HI with a somewhat institutional feeling, but some compensating factors. This hostel is reasonably well located, in a decent commercial neighborhood within a half-block of a metro stop. An excellent internet cafe, various affordable restaurants, and supermarkets are located nearby, and it is a pleasant 15-20 minute walk to the city center, if you're in the mood for the walk rather than the metro ride.The social scene is also decent, considering the paucity of the common area. The front TV room gets quite busy, and the small bar (open evenings only) can be a fun place for a drink. The rooms are institutional and spartan, with lockers than accept padlocks.But as noted below, the large common bathrooms were filthy and the hostel can be extremely noisy. This hostel's main failing is its popularity with school groups, who can make this hostel seem more like a school trip from hell than a traveler's spot. Perhaps I've had bad luck, but in my experience, Portuguese and French school groups are routinely loud, obnoxious and out of control, with chaperones who are no better than the kids, and both were present when I was visiting. With a bit of paint, better cleaning and without the school groups, this could be a much better hostel. But I've stayed in worse, and I have come to accept that the Portuguese hostel scene is not one of Europe's best.
