Santa Luzia, Apartment

We stayed at Santa Luzia B&B for five days and felt comfortable and welcome from the start. The reception staff were friendly and helpful from day one, and breakfast was fresh and delicious.

The room didn't match the online pictures, and when we arrived there were no towels and mold in the shower. We were on the fourth floor facing the street, where trucks, trolleys, and people talking made the room loud. The building isn't accessible, and you have to climb narrow stairs. While the hotel is near some great views and gives easy access to the trolley, the surrounding area is extremely touristy, with souvenir shops and tourist food traps everywhere. It works if you want something a step above a hostel. If you want a feel for old town Lisboa, I'd stay somewhere more central and make a day trip to Alfama.

I first booked the Santa Luzia hotel in Lisbon for early November, then had to move my trip to later that month and eventually to January. I chose reserve now, pay later and understood that I had time to cancel if needed. When I later tried to change the dates, Santa Luzia said the booking was nonrefundable and that changing or cancelling would cost me. In my opinion, this feels like a scam: if I'd known it was nonrefundable, I wouldn't have booked. Now I'm facing the room charge, a change fee, and possibly another fee, or cancelling altogether. Someone advised me not to authorize the payment after cancelling, but I don't know what to do. It feels like hidden fees piled on hidden fees.

The staff were good, and the location was good too, but the room was small and had too many levels. There was a bad smell from the toilet, and the narrow stairs made it harder to carry suitcases up. It was absolutely not a three-star hotel, and poor value for the money.