7 Requinte Hostel

The location is decent, with buses, a large shopping centre, and a metro station that gets you to central Lisbon in about 20 minutes. That’s the only good reason to be here. The online photos are incredibly misleading, and the rooms are small. Worse, the sheets were gross, with lots of mould and bugs crawling around. The floor was sticky in places, the bed frames were broken, and a screw fell out as we tried to climb onto the top bunk. The bunk bed felt like it might collapse. The room smelled horrible and had mould on the doors too. There are only five working toilets and showers, and they’re always occupied, nowhere near enough for everyone. The service was shocking: we rang the bell for ten minutes before someone appeared, looked at us, then went downstairs without helping. They give check-in and check-out times but aren’t there to provide those services. They also used not speaking English as an excuse to refuse a refund, leaving us stuck. They said cleaning happened once every three days, but it never happened during our stay. Do yourself a favour and find somewhere else.

There were about 40 of us, but only four bathrooms, so they were nearly always occupied. The bathrooms were filthy, and the room was cramped, with thin, uncomfortable mattresses and a pillow that felt like it had no filling. The receptionist wasn't friendly, either. We had to check out before 9, even though reception only opened at 9, and he hadn't told me about that. They take a €10 key deposit, which you're meant to get back at checkout. Since we had to leave before reception opened, we couldn't get it back. Such a frustrating situation. I wouldn't recommend this place, even for one night. If the low price is tempting, just know the hostel is really bad.

I stayed eight nights this time, and it was a worse experience than my first visit, when I only stayed one night. The only good thing here is hard to pin down. They'd taken out the minibar and a small side table that used to be there, and the WiFi kept cutting out. My room wasn't cleaned once in eight or nine days, despite being told long stays get cleaned every three days. The pillows had lost their shape and weren't changed during my stay. The place is very loud because it faces the road. Restrooms weren't clean, and they often ran out of tissues, so check before going in. One of the hosts, who seemed to be on duty most of the time, doesn't understand English. You have to be back by midnight each day. After that the door is locked, and you may be left waiting for someone to let you in. I wouldn't recommend it if you're with a partner or child, or if you need to work. If you're alone, only need somewhere to leave your bag, and plan to be out all day, it might do for one or two nights. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

The rooms may be cheap, but the whole building was freezing, with no heating at all. There was no soap or towels, and the room had nothing but a bed and a tiny table. You could hear everything in the corridors because there was a gap beneath the door, and no one spoke English. I regret coming here. I wouldn't recommend staying, even at this price.