Guest House Estrela

We left in the middle of the night to find somewhere else where we could get a little sleep. The room was noisy and stiflingly hot, with no air conditioning in the middle of summer. When I asked the night shift man for a portable fan, he swore in Portuguese and rudely told me, “You have windows, open them.” The receptionist was extremely rude too, and openly spoke against different nationalities. Absolutely terrible experience.

For the price, this was a great choice. The room was smart and a little old, but totally enough for us. We could walk everywhere, with good restaurants, bars and supermarkets right next to the hotel. Highly recommended.

The location is great, and so is the price, but the bathroom was vile. There was an overpowering smell coming from the drains, unlike anything we've experienced. The shower cubicle was tiny and damaged, with a dirty curtain that kept sticking to our skin. The shower head was blocked, and the water cut out and went cold while we were using it. The toilet and bidet were crammed beside each other in the corner, and the sink got in the way. Just stinking and unreal. They don't provide shower gel or shampoo, and the toilet paper fell apart in your hand. Our attic bedroom was extremely small, with only a tiny window in the top corner for ventilation and no natural light. The pillows were awful, completely threadbare, with just one per person. The WiFi wouldn't connect either, and there was only one power socket in the room. Also watch out for extra fees at check-in. We were charged what they called a "room tax/city council tax" or something, €2 per person per night. Not a huge amount, but unexpected if you're travelling on a budget.

It did what I needed at a fair price and even exceeded my expectations. The location was great, close to the bus station, metro, market and gastronomic center. The private-bathroom room was okay, the service was super friendly, and the staff even left us a port wine souvenir.