Lisbon Poets Hostel

This may be the best hostel I’ve stayed in pretty much ever. Disclaimer: I stayed in a private room. But a private room in this place cost what a dorm does in Amsterdam, so I think my review is still useful for lots of travelers.
Facilities:
This place is AMAZING. Very well-​maintained, spotlessly clean, well-​lit, my room even had a heating/​AC unit which is super rare in Lisbon (I was freezing in every other accommodation I tried). Bathrooms were clean with hot water and good water pressure. Kitchen has all the necessary equipment and is annexed to the lounge area, which is big and cozy and nicely facilitates a social environment. Wifi works well. My room was also BEAUTIFUL.
Staff:
Equally superlative. They were all friendly, polite, patient, helpful, welcoming, and — my favourite part — well-​read. I had a long conversation about poetry and literature with the staff member checking me in. No problems with checking in/​checking out/​storing my bag/​etc.
Food:
Breakfast was OK for a hostel, normal continental breakfast, though I showed up near the end of breakfast time so I think I missed some stuff. The € 10 dinner was awesome though, three proper courses, flowing Sangria and a warm atmosphere.
Highly, highly recommended in Lisbon. If you’re debating between an AirBNB or a private room, choose this place.

It was a little difficult to find this place at midnight, but we managed. The Poets Hostel gets points for being right off the Baixa /​Chiado metro stop, and it’s also in a good location for restaurants and shopping, which my group took advantage of. I was traveling with my husband and sister and we were able to easily walk to the Arco da Rua Augusta (which is stunning), from there to the Sé de Lisboa (cathedral), and then an upward walk to the Castelo de São Jorge (an incredible Moorish castle overlooking Lisbon in all directions, as well as featuring some excavated Iron Age ruins). I mention this because between the cathedral and castle we passed another hostel we had considered, and we were at that moment really thankful we stayed at Poets. I mean, this other hostel looked nice, but it was a good long way from any metro, and with all the hills of Lisbon, it was incredibly wonderful to just have the hostel right there when we got off the metro at midnight.
The staff was really nice! I emailed them to let them know we’d be late because of a flight delay and they responded shortly. When we buzzed to get in that night, they welcomed me by name and buzzed me in. She let us in to our dorm, which was clean and comfortable, then pointed us in the direction of the bathrooms and showers (right down the halls) and the common room and kitchen (which was a really great area). She did this because she could very clearly see we were exhausted and made the tour as short as possible so we could get to bed :) that was kind and appreciated!
We were given key cards to get into the property and into our rooms, and actual keys to lock our stuff up under the beds. We slept comfortably and the next morning paid € 10 for each bag of laundry we needed cleaned (2). It felt expensive, but as we needed to do laundry again at another place, now in hindsight, it really wasn’t. They provided the laundry detergent, plus our bags were returned with the clean and folded laundry, so it didn’t take any of our limited time away from exploring the city. Later in Rome I used the travel packets of detergent and spent about an hour and a half of my evening doing laundry when I could have been exploring or sleeping to get up earlier the next morning. So the Poets Hostel really provided some special extra value there, even if it cost us € 20.
The common room was big and welcoming. Our room mate and his friends were watching a soccer game in there and invited us to join, but we were heading out to the the Torre de Belem and passed. Later that evening though, my husband and I got to chill and finish off our bottle of Port we brought from up the coast on a couch in the common room all to ourselves. The next morning Breakfast was a nice spread of fruits, toast, jams, cereal, juice, and some pretty rough coffee, but there was plenty of everything! We chatted with some Frenchmen and then a kid from Chicago before we headed out for the day.
The bathrooms are clean and the showers are also really great. I wish there was something that would have allowed me to wipe down the sink counters in the showers though, someone had completely watered them down and I didn’t have anything dry to wipe them off and was worried about getting my clean clothes wet if I leaned up against it. In hindsight, I probably could have just asked for a towel to wipe it up and they would have let me use one real quick… oh well! Anyways, the shower stalls locked and had room for bottles and washcloths in the stalls, which was more than I can say for some places!
And, of course, they locked up our bags in a luggage room once we checked out so we wouldn’t have to carry around our bags while waiting for our flight. Thank goodness, because we took the train out to Sintra (so worth it) and that would not have been fun to carry those backpacks up to the Palácio de Pena.
So all in all, the Poets Hostel was a really great place to stop! It’s a 4 star only because it wasn’t my absolute favorite, but it was certainly second out of many. Definitely worth your money!

I don’t actually even know where to begin with my experience here. I stayed for 11 nights and 12 days.
The staff are the warmest, friendliest, kindest, most helpful people I have ever met. They genuinely want everyone to enjoy their stay and will do anything they can to help. They gave me maps, directions, tips, offered advice on everything from culture, to food, to night life, and so on. I love all of them!
There was a situation in my dorm where these three French guys were drunk all the time, being really rude, loud, making a mess, etc. I asked to switch rooms, and the manager went to talk with them to ask them to behave. One of the guys then dumped a bottle of water into my backpack, so the hostel asked them to leave. The hostel employees were so nice, and even found them somewhere else to stay! So sweet! They gave them their money back, but said they couldn’t stay. They said they won’t allow anyone to treat other guests that way, or compromise anyone’s safety or belongings. It made me feel so safe and so valued as a guest here, although in the end they made me feel more like family.
At the end of my stay an older guest had a medical emergency and they called the ambulance, gave CPR, etc. They handled a very tough situation the best they could and did everything they could to protect not only the guest with the problem, but the rest of us as well, making sure everyone was okay, etc. They all did a great job in a very hard and upsetting situation.
The hostel itself is clean, comfortable, and inviting. I met a lot of nice people and we sat in the common rooms chatting, drinking wine, etc. The hostel hosts a dinner every night that is ten euros. It is four courses of delicious food and unlimited sangria. You can’t beat the price, the food and sangria are awesome, and it was so much fun meeting travelers and talking with the local people at the hostel. I didn’t try until the last few days of my trip, but I wish I would have done it every night! Trust me on this one, this is a do not miss!
The location is perfect. You are right next to the train station, 15 minute walk from the churches and castle, 5 minute walk from the ocean, etc. It is a little noisy, so bring ear plugs just in case, but I didn’t have a problem. Must have been all the sangria! :)
I don’t know how else to explain my love for this place and the staff here. They treated me and all the other guests like we were family. There is so much love and laughter and kindness inside these walls, I can’t begin to explain it. I will absolutely come stay here next time I am in Portugal, and want all of them to come visit me in the states! My trip was that much better because of these awesome people and I hope this review is at least a small thank you for everything they did and everything they are.
I highly recommend!

Nunca fiquei aqui alojada mas já fui ter com uns amigos holandeses que aqui ficaram. Fui beber um café com eles e tive oportunidade de espreitar os cantos à casa. Primeiro que tudo a simpatia do atendimento fez-​me logo sentir em casa. Segundo, adorei o ambiente, super descontraído, bonito e acolhedor. As pessoas que lá estavam eram maioritariamente estrangeiras e jovens. Vivia-​se nesse dia, um ambiente de festa. Gostei mesmo do ambiente e da decoração do hostel. Passa-​se um belo momento e conhece-​se pessoas de outros países.
É de facto um belo sítio para se ficar ou simplesmente para ir beber um copo e conviver.

Uns amigos meus, à procura de um hostel em Lisboa para passar a noite, perguntaram-​me o que recomendava. Nessa altura, percebi o tamanho da minha ignorância no que a alojamento na minha cidade diz respeito.
Lembrava-​me de ter sido feliz no Oporto Poets Hostel e recomendei-​lhes o congénere lisboeta, apesar de não conhecer. E não é que acertei?
Passava das 22h, de domingo, quando ligaram a fazer a reserva e ficaram surpreendidos com a eficácia com que tudo foi tratado.
Uma vez lá, pelo que me disseram, a experiência foi em muito semelhante à que tive: serviço simpático e acolhedor. E ainda elogiaram a decoração do quarto que lhes calhou em sorte — o Sophia de Mello Breyner — com gaiolas de ferro a dar um toque original.