Lisb’on Hostel

The Lisb’on hostel was located in the interesting Bairro Alto, which was useful for accessing an array of local attractions, however it was unfortunate that it was on a large hill so in the rain it was very interesting trying to make it up to the door. The staff were all very friendly and offered maps and advice on where to eat whenever we asked. I can’t comment on how easy it is to access on public transport as we were dropped off by a coach, but from the coach it was about a 5-10 minute walk up and down hills, and I don’t think there was any public transport that came any closer.

The Bedrooms:

We were given a dormitory of eight, as there were seven of us no one else joined us, so we had it all to ourselves. The dormitories were given names after different districts of Lisbon, which was very quaint, there were little descriptions about the different districts on the doors. Entry was using a key card, we were given one each which were numbered with our bed number so that there was no confusion over who should sleep in which bed. The bunk beds each had a pack with towels and sheets on it however the beds had to be made up which was a bit tricky on the top bunk particularly, it is something that needs a bit of practise. It was nice to have towels included though, as well as a duvet. There were lockers underneath each of the bunk beds which could be secured with a lock, these lockers were plenty big enough for a suitcase, or even a person as we found out. Our room was split into two with four beds on each side of the divide, there were individual lights for the beds which was great as well as a little basket to hold your personal belongings that you may need close to you in the night, such as your phone.

The Bathrooms:

Unfortunately there were no private bathrooms attached to the dormitories, which meant that you had to walk across the hall to the nearest bathroom, there were toilet and shower cubicles and two sinks. At times this was insufficient for the number of people using them particularly in the mornings, the hair dryer was a nice addition but inconveniently located above one of the sinks, rendering either one of them useless when the other was being used. Our room was next to the Male bathrooms which unfortunately smelt rather unpleasant, thanks lads! Overall the bathrooms were kept clean, it was just disappointing that there were not enough of them.

The Terrace:

There was a terrace behind the dining room and kitchen that offered great views across Lisbon towards the bridge. There were tables and chairs, if it had been better weather it would have been a lovely place to sit. One of the things on the to do list provided by the hostel was to watch the sun set from the terrace, which we did try to do despite the clouds. It would have been a truly spectacular sight on a clear night. There was also an area of lawn on the floor below with comfortable seats and loungers which in better weather would have been a great place to relax.

The Kitchen:

The kitchen was large and very new, with great facilities for cooking, there were ovens, worktops, hobs, sinks and microwaves. I didn’t make use of the kitchen, but I am sure that had I wanted to it would have been perfectly functional, I did notice also that it was very clean.

Other Amenities:

Wi-Fi – There was free Wi-Fi access throughout the hostel, however it was rather patchy in many areas, only one half of my room could access it, so I sat on Kath’s bed for the majority of the weekend when I wanted Wi-Fi.

Dining Area – The Dining area was quite small for the amount of people that wanted to use it all at once, which was a shame as it was beautifully decorated and very quirky. I particularly enjoyed the world map with lots of pins in it to show where all the previous visitors to the hostel were from.

Lounge Area – In the lounge area there were chairs as well as some tabletop games, there were also some computers available for communal use. It was a nice area to have to be able to relax in, particularly in the poor weather.

Breakfast – Breakfast was included in the price of the hostel and it was certainly worth waking up for. It was available until 10.30am, there were hot drinks available as well as juice – although we never quite worked out what flavour it was meant to be. There were lovely fresh bread rolls with cheese and ham, which you could toast if you wanted. Cereals were also provided and depending on when you made it to breakfast there was a selection of fruit or cakes, which was great. There were several notices around reminding people not to take food away for eating later, but I won’t lie I was sorely tempted to make myself a cheese roll and slip it out in my bag for later. It was one of the better hostel breakfasts that I have ever had.

Overall it was a nice hostel, although at times it seemed like a case of style over substance. The location was nice although it was unfortunately up a hill which was a bit hairy to walk up in the pouring rain.