Fantasy Hostel Porto

This is my second time back at this wonderful hostel. It’s comfortable and clean, with a quiet atmosphere, separate bathrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and beds with curtains for privacy. It felt great for a woman travelling alone. Pedro at reception was extremely kind and attentive, and also a total hottie 🔥 Thanks for everything!

I’m a pretty resilient traveller and know what to expect when I pay very little, but this place still didn’t sit right with me. The location is great, right by Trinidad station and its good range of train lines. Staff were receptive, though not especially helpful or interested. The rooms are tiny, and if you’re on a bottom bunk, there’s nowhere for your luggage except downstairs. The beds are on the floor. There was a waste-water smell, and the place wasn’t cleaned properly. Some guests were drunk and yelled all the time. There’s no stovetop in the kitchen, so you can’t actually cook. Worst of all, bed bugs. I was bitten over two nights and found one. There are other reviews mentioning bed bugs, and the infestation doesn’t seem to have improved. It’s not the worst place, but it doesn’t have many redeeming features.

A handy base for pilgrims setting out from Porto: the metro stop is just two minutes away, then it’s about a 15-minute walk to the cathedral. The beds have curtains, and the lockers fit large backpacks, which is a real plus. There are plenty of toilets. The shower stalls feel much like home showers, though there isn’t much privacy while changing since the hooks are outside the stalls. Everything else was fine.

I checked the bed before putting my things on it because I’d seen reviews mentioning bed bugs, but it looked fine. The stay at Fantasy hostel was okay overall. The women’s showers didn’t offer enough privacy, and the air conditioning was very noisy right beside my head, so I couldn’t sleep well. They should improve it.