Happy Reception Boutique Hostel Bica

We had a long airport layover, and for the low price it was worth avoiding a night on the airport floor. The room was really clean, and so was the bathroom, aside from a little old mold in the shower corners. There was no obvious dirt or hair. It's a no-frills place, and walking up the staircase in an alley felt a little sketchy, but the codes worked. The fan helped, and it was nice having a balcony for the cool night air. I wouldn't choose it for a whole vacation.

We waited about an hour and a half in the heat just to get the damn key code. Terrible service. Don't book the roof, it's super hot. I asked for a fan and they said they'd see what they could do, but nothing came of it.

We stayed here on a Lisbon trip in December 2023, and even months later we still remembered it as the dirtiest, worst, and most unethical accommodation we'd ever used. One star only because there was no zero-star option. The apartment was badly organised from the start. We weren't given our own set of keys when we arrived and had to use housekeeping's. The apartment door was janky and took several tries every time, while the stairs up to it were extremely steep and narrow, and felt dangerous. In the room, the mattress, pillow, and linens were clearly low quality and very uncomfortable. The shared bathroom made an already poor stay unbearable. The shower sometimes wouldn't work at all or only gave cold water. The floor was filthy, often covered in dirt and shoe prints from other guests, and soap and toilet paper were often missing. When we asked reception to deal with the shower, they made empty promises, and we came home to the same problem each night. The way they handled payment was just as bad. On our first day, reception said they hadn't received payment from Booking.com and asked us to pay the whole amount up front. We thought that was strange because we remembered paying for the full stay through Booking.com. We should have checked our bank records right then, but we were tired from the trip to Lisbon and trusted the staff, so we paid. A week after check out, a routine bank check showed we'd been charged TWICE. We immediately contacted reception through Whatsapp. Over the following days, different staff members kept telling us the full refund would be processed that day and we'd get a call once it was done. They seemed unaware of the issue, which made us think there was no communication WHATSOEVER between staff. We had to chase reception every day and call several times a day. They never called us on their own. All we got were more empty promises, pathetic excuses, and incompetence. They said the Accounts Manager was on holidays and we'd have to wait until she got back. Even after she supposedly returned, we waited more than a day without hearing anything. What was so complicated about a single refund? If you're thinking of staying here, don't. Save yourself what would be the worst accommodation experience of your life.

For the price, it's a great place, with a brilliant central location. The street is quiet even though the party area is just around the corner. The rooms and apartment have a nice feel and are fairly clean, and they're nicely equipped. The room was very big, with seats, a table, and a balcony I hadn't known about before booking. There's no heating system at all, which could be an issue in winter. The way in is very steep and narrow, tricky if you have heavy luggage or mobility issues, and the mattress was super uncomfortable. Still, I'd very much recommend it.