We Love F. Tourists

Hostel had bed bugs without informing people before booking, I only found out because other guests were discussing it in the hostel-chat (apparently the staff also lied to the guests who got bitten and said that it wasn’t bed bugs when it in fact was). Since I obviously no longer wanted to stay there I contacted the management and requested a refund so that I could book a new hostel which they refused to do because “the infested room was undergoing treatment”. Still haven’t been refunded.

tl:dr - do not stay here if you’re looking for a good quality bed to sleep, WiFi in the rooms or the ability to hang out with others in the hostel at no cost. I had no bed bugs and the shower water was warm, hence 2 stars instead of 1, which should only be reserved for the worst accommodations. This is a fairly expensive hostel for Lisbon and it came recommended by a fellow traveler so maybe I had too high expectations? Accommodation: we were on the 3rd floor (lowest level for the hostel) in communal rooms and told to use to lower WiFi that should connect to our room. It didn’t. I could send or receive messages except in the main space on the 4th floor, which for those of you like me who depend on WiFi, this was disappointing. Additionally, the beds were AWFUL. So thin, creaky and lacking accessible chargers or lighting for the size space. Honestly, this place charges more than most hostels and has below average linen, beds and overall accommodations. When a hostel friend had to switch accommodations do to extending, we visited the hostel down the street, which had AMAZING air conditioning, funky furniture and seating nooks, breakfast and even included a locker for belongings, all for less than our cost. I read through ratings before posting to see if maybe it was in my head but found several honest remarks about the “fake friendliness” of the staff and “drinking the kool aid,” a phrase meaning the staff persuade you to think they’re interested in you and your experience, but realistically everything they suggest is through the hostel at a sticker price 3-5 times that of going with another tour or doing it yourself. For some, this is well worth the price of peace of mind and no stress so if that’s for you, great! For many of us backpackers, we stay in hostels for affordability and expect our hostel staff to direct us to free tours and cheap local eats. Instead, the staff make what appears to be hospitality in the form of cheap wine into meals that cost more at the hostel than anything you’ll find similarly (and better tasting) in the city. Lisbon is known for being a budget friendly city so it’s disappointing that the hostel staff only gets to know guests if they pay into their activities. Legit, most activities require you to PAY in order to hang out with others at the hostel. If you want to pay for no stress, I get it. For those of us staying at a hostel to stick to a budget and meet new people without paying to hang out, this wasn’t a good experience. I asked the reception if a couple of us could come join the rest of the hostel later in their pub crawl to hang out (mind you this was just people from the hostel going bar to bar and not an organized event). We just wanted to hang out and didn’t plan to drink or if we did, we’d buy our own beverages. They said absolutely! Gave us their whatsapp to coordinate meeting up later and we planned our evening around what time we’d meet them at a specific bar. When we got there, the hostel host told us since we hadn’t paid, we couldn’t join the group. I have NEVER experienced anything like that before, where hanging out at a BAR open to the public would not be ok because we hadn’t paid the surcharge for drinking. To some of you this may make sense but for those of you who understand that hanging at a bar with people from your hostel should never cost you money with the exception of cover (if there is one - which there wasn’t). So all in all, the place felt safe and the WiFi worked in the main 4th floor but otherwise, almost all activities had an additional cost (including a subpar breakfast). The staff were over the top “friendly” about joining for activities and gathering money because I’m sure they make a cut off each person who attends. Hostel staff should always be friendly and kind, even if you opt to do your own activities or want to hang out but not drink. If you’re looking for a party hostel and come with money to spend, this is the place for you. If you’re looking for a community vibe and great support in learning about the real Lisbon, go elsewhere.

Personal sehr freundlich und zuvorkommend, Aktivitäten des Hostels machen es als Alleinreisende möglich, schnell Kontakt zu Leuten zu finden. Zimmer sind sehr klein, Sauberkeit könnte insgesamt besser sein. Hatte im Zimmer Probleme mit Bettwanzen, das Hostel hat dabei aber professionell reagiert und umgehend Maßnahmen getroffen.

Bedbug