Friendly Hills Bairro Alto - Hostel

The place is centrally located, the staff are friendly, and breakfast was okay. Just be aware that cars can’t get to the hostel, so with luggage you’ll be dragging it along very bumpy cobblestone streets. It’s also close to bars, and my room was noisy at night even though it was on the highest floor. Apart from that, everything was fine. I love this place!

The location was hard to deal with. Cars can’t get there, and there’s nowhere to park nearby. Bars and clubs around the place also made nights really loud. Our room wasn’t the one we’d paid for, and there were no other rooms free to switch to. There was just a bed, a chair, and two coat hangers, with nowhere to put clothes or other belongings, so we kept everything in our bags. The doors had big gaps, and noise carried throughout the house. From the room above, every movement made the floor creak as if they were in our room. The sheets were stained and the floors seemed dirty. The bathroom ceiling was covered in mold, and there were insects everywhere. The hot water stopped after about five minutes in the shower, leaving only cold water. We stayed a week and asked for fresh towels after five days, but were told no. Breakfast was the same each day, varied a lot in quality depending on who made it, and wasn’t ready on time about half the time. Once we waited over ten minutes, apparently because someone had got up late and hadn’t prepared it. Staff seemed very young and untrained, like backpackers working for a free stay, and some didn’t speak English.

Our street-facing room stayed quiet thanks to the double-glazed windows, even though the street was busy. It did get a little warm, but there was a large fan in the room. The room and bathroom were very clean, the people were kind and friendly, and breakfast was lovely. We really enjoyed staying in the middle of Barrio Alto, close to the beach and lots of nice restaurants. We’d definitely recommend it and would stay again.

I’m not coming back. The price feels far too high for what you get, and it was hard to sleep because there’s no sound or thermal insulation. The place was cold and noisy, and you could hear everything from the building and outside. The bathrooms were cold, and the shower wouldn’t keep its hot water steady. There’s no elevator. When I tried to use the microwave, it almost exploded.