Hostel 2300 Thomar

Breakfast was a nice spread, and the fresh bread delivered every day was really good. The kitchen is well equipped, too. I saw another group make a whole pasta dinner there. The fridge is pretty slow to cool things down and there’s no freezer. Rooms felt a bit stuffy, and there’s no air conditioning, but the provided fan did the trick. The shower stalls are great, though some shower heads don’t stay on the wall. Good value for the amenities, and a good place to stay as a pilgrim on the Camino.

The location is superb, on the main road in the old town, close to the central square and just a few minutes from the Convent. The rooms, kitchen, and toilets were generally pretty good and clean. But I had a bad moment when I lay down to rest and noticed a really nasty looking brown mark on the bunk mattress above me, possibly blood, and another bed looked like it had a dirty mark too. The street noise also made the room hard to deal with. With the window open for air, a lot of noise came in from the busy main street, nearby restaurant, and shops. Shut it and the air barely circulates, making it hard to breathe. At check-in, I was with a friend and said we still needed to pay, just trying to make sure it hadn’t been forgotten. The man seemed confused and said we’d booked by phone, not Booking, so of course we couldn’t have paid. We were both fumbling over our words, and I felt he was making me feel dumb. I said it was dumb of me to ask, though I’d only brought it up because I didn’t want to cheat and honestly thought he’d forgotten. He kept mocking me and carrying on like I’d done something awful. At first he’d taken it as a question and asked why I was asking, but then he went on and on. We later chatted a bit about the Caminho and he showed us around the hostel, but those couple of minutes felt pretty rude, and I really didn’t like them.

The location in Tomar is perfect, and everything worked as it should. The place was clean, breakfast was included, and the staff were friendly. Having a practical kitchen and being able to check out late were both appreciated.

Breakfast was included and very good. We booked a double room at a good price, right in the center, and found the facilities clean. They provided fresh towels and a heater, though we did have to make the bed ourselves. There was a football match that day, so it got a little noisy, but that can come with such a central spot.