Largo da Sé - HOrigem

The location is the sweet spot, in my Portuguese Lisboner opinion: close to so much, but quieter than the center around Rossio, Restauradores, Chiado, and the downtown streets with bars and restaurants. Alfama and its Miradouros/Vistas, the Castle of São Jorge, Praça do Comércio (commerce square), and Rossio are all a stone’s throw away. There are plenty of transport options too, including the 28, with a stop literally 5 seconds away, the Metro at Rossio or Praça, buses, and modern and 1930's trams. It’s a great base if, like me, you love walking. Prices are more than fair and very affordable for what you get. If you find a deal on Hotels.com or Booking.com, call HOrigem Sé Guest House instead, as they may offer a better rate without the agency commission. I’d come back, though perhaps with a private bathroom. The walls are paper thin. You can hear other rooms, the tram, and the nightly bin workers, ert. I read the reviews and came prepared with inexpensive wax earplugs, which fit my ears better than foam ones. I couldn’t hear a peep and slept like a rock. About the theft concerns: when I asked Daniel, one of the hosts receptionists, he evaded the question. I didn’t like him and felt he was fake. Cátia, the other receptionist, was an absolute joy. I was worried about people entering my room, especially staff who might steal, so I bought a £20-£30 Amazon baby/pet monitor camera and left it connected to the accommodation Wifi while I was out. I also kept the "do not disturb" sign up the whole time, even when I was away. I didn’t want the bed made or towels changed unless I asked in person, and I didn’t tell staff about the camera. I can say with 100% certainty that nobody entered my room, so they respected the sign. Nothing went missing. There’s no vault, so take your valuables, wallet, cash, and passport with you. Outside, keep valuables deep in your bags, use a backpack instead of a shoulder bag, don’t put valuables in outer pockets, and don’t hold phones or cameras without them being strapped to your wrist or neck. I resent people calling us Portuguese all thieves. We’re not, and thieves are everywhere. But if you look like a tourist and take no precautions, you will be robbed, especially in high season in May-Sep. Victim blaming? Yes. Dumb tourists? Also yes. Don’t be one. I booked the 'superior room', which faces the church and has a better view. It had a shared bathroom, which seemed well kept and was fine for me. I didn’t shower there because I took bo flip-flops and didn’t want to catch Athlete's Foot. It’s somewhere between a hotel and a hostel: you get your own lockable room, but bathrooms are shared, except for two rooms with private bathrooms and no nice view of the Sé church. The sheets could use replacing. They’ve yellowed over time, though they’re washed and bacteria free, and I’m not precious about it. You can ask for fresh sheets, but those might be yellowed too, so perhaps avoid it if you’re nitpicky. They always smelled clean. Still, I think the owners should treat sheets as something to replace, not a permanent fixture. Nobody needs them branded with the HOrigem logo, but people do want pristine white sheets. For the owners making a ton of money from this constantly fully booked place, just get new sheets. It’s the bear minimum expected of the hotel industry and the current ones leave a bad impression.