Baixa Terrace Hostel

The evacuation lamp in my room was noisy and kept me awake all night. I’d rather sleep with the room completely dark. Otherwise, not bad.

Reception was cheerful and helpful, and the price was alright, but the night was rough. The door kept slamming and we hardly slept. From our private room we could also hear every detail from the men’s bathroom, which felt really uncomfortable. The hostel seemed dirty, the bedding didn’t feel very clean, and there weren’t many outlets in our room.

The staff were lovely and helpful. One of them booked my taxi to the airport and let me leave my suitcases there after checkout. This hostel is nicely priced and right in central Faro, with the marina, bars, shops, restaurants and main sights all a short walk away.

We booked two beds in a mixed dorm for four nights, but left after two days because of several problems. As backpackers, we mainly need basic safety and cleanliness. There was no key for the dorm, despite a notice on its door saying there should be one. The separate locker room had simple turn locks that looked easy to break. Breakfast was listed as included when we booked, but we were told at check-in there was no breakfast service. Laundry was also advertised on Hostelworld, and we needed it, but it wasn’t available. The shared kitchen was in awful shape, with a sink full of dirty dishes and no clean utensils, so we had to eat out. The showers were clogged, and there was exposed, uninsulated wiring in both the bathroom and our dorm. The dorm also had bags, old food and dirty towels left by previous guests. We understand it can be hard for cleaning staff to keep track of people’s things, but they could at least have put them away in case someone came back for them. It’s a beautiful building, but the hostel was badly neglected, and those advertised services mattered a lot to us since we travel light.