BoHo Alecrim - Guesthouse

We couldn't use this booking and had to find a hotel immediately because it was raining. Entry required a code, but the manager never sent it. The only message we got asked us to leave 8 euros for the city tax. Now the manager is refusing to refund us. Other reviews describe similar experiences, so avoid this place.

The wide, comfortable bed was the one good thing. The apartment smelled of damp and old furniture, and the wooden floor was dirty and coming apart. My white socks were ruined after two minutes. I paid more here than for a much better room in a nicer area with breakfast, where I stayed just after arriving in Lisbon. We were also told not to even think of leaving luggage before or after check-in. Other places offer that service for free, but here paid storage costs an extra 7-10 euros. The night was frightening. The windows were so poorly sealed that outside noise came through as if they were open. A huge party under the windows went on all night, with crowds everywhere. From 3 a.m., groups of drugged people ran around, bothered others, and threw glass bottles at each other. Ambulances kept arriving. I felt the location was unsafe and was afraid to leave for my morning bus. Getting in was confusing too. I received a code to enter the building and collect a key from a box, but the instructions were so unclear that two other tourists and I couldn't get through the main door. There was already someone at reception inside, so I don't understand the point of the codes. The receptionist made me wait to chat with a colleague, and despite asking three times, I still haven't received an invoice. I don't recommend staying here unless you want to spend the whole night on the street near Pink Street doing drugs.

Hours after we'd left, the host finally sent the entry codes. We asked Agoda for help and requested a refund, but the host refused. When we returned the next day, we heard people talking in the room assigned to us. It seemed the host had rented it to someone else without refunding us. When we raised that, he said he'd call the police. We arrived at check-in time but couldn't get into the building because the host hadn't sent the codes in advance. Our calls and messages went unanswered. We only got inside when someone else was leaving, after we'd spent a few hours waiting. There was a strange chest filled with old, moldy wigs and creepy objects. A bathroom was available for the floor, but its sign said not to close the door because it might not open again, which was odd for a public bathroom. We left and found another hotel. The host is a scammer who double books rooms to make more money.

We checked out two nights early because we couldn't bear another night there. The place is wildly overpriced. I've stayed in nicer hostels for half the price, and I wouldn't recommend this one. The location felt dirty and was incredibly loud all night, with street partygoers and other guests audible through paper-thin walls. The beds are tiny, and the rooms are hot, stuffy, and poorly ventilated. Opening the window wasn't an option because of the street noise. The separate outside bathroom was bad, too. The shower was the worst I've had: even on the hottest setting, the water was only lukewarm, and the curtain was so long it took up half the shower floor. It really spoiled our time in Lisbon.