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 |   ON THE WRITE PATH: travel journal for Around-the-World in 2015, 16, 18. |
Sssssh! I'm not really here. and StephBee - House Targaryen: This is the 8th entry for
🇵🇹 A hosteling we go (Portugal) Not all hostels are created equal. Consider: 1. type of bed. 2. type of room. 3. type of bath and toilet rooms. 4. breakfast? 5. towels and linen? 6. proximity to transportation. 7. noise. 8. staff. 9. guests. I prefer close to buses/trains/planes/ferries/ufo-ports... I prefer 4-6 bed dorms but... I don't do upper beds (legs, vertigo, age... excuses all...) I like bed curtains. I like hot water! I do like breakfast included as I'm not a morning person. Towels and linen are nice. I travel with a thin pair of sheets and a small towel. I prefer quiet and loud bar music disturbs my nerves. I prefer local and/or knowledgeable friendly staff. I prefer sociable guests. Price? Depends on country and time of year. Portugal is better in April and May than June. Climate? I don't like toasty and if they have a/c? It can get too cold. I usually travel with a jacket, even in the tropics. And an umbrella, even in deserts. LISBOA: The Independente: Three tiered twin beds! I always ask for a lower bed, days in advance (no curtains  ). Lots of stairs (has a lift for luggage). Breakfast is wonderful; Lourdes is a force-of-nature. Staff is very good. Location? The best. Easy to get to by bus or metro/elevator and it's across from a miradouro that overlooks Lisbon. The guests tend to meet at breakfast and in the common room which has a kitchen, laundry and a TV. Most are friendly. Stayed 7 days (5+2). The restaurant/bar inside is The Decadente: LAGOS: TAGhostel: Double beds. I asked for a lower and was put in the same bed as before (on purpose!) The 8 and two 4-bed rooms are by the dining/common room. The 6 bed room is down a flight of stairs. There are other options (curtains don't help much). Breakfast is very good. Location? Not far from the bus or train or beach; right in the center of town. Multiple bathrooms (good privacy). Very social. Community dinners 3/week. Roof terrace is a great meeting place. Filipa is the goddess-of-the-hostel-world and very knowledgeable. She treats everyone as family. Staff: Carmen has been there for years and Timo and Ana were great. Stayed 7 days. Very affordable. FARO: Faroway: Single twin, no uppers. Bathrooms okay. Adequate kitchen and nice adjacent roof terrace. Joao and his wife were attentive. Location is good. Social enough. Not my favorite place but it was fine. Plus... I was ill. Reasonably quiet and dark. Tilia Lower bed in three-tier room; good bed curtains. Has laundry. Washed clothes by hand and dried on roof terrace. Large common area; adequate kitchen. Staff was good. Guests weren't overly social, but I was ill. Location is good. Reasonably quiet except in early morning due to construction across the street.  Casa de Madalena Small two-tier dorms. No curtains. Banana pancakes. Seems social, partially due to Adrian, the enthusiastic owner. Very good location. I didn't stay here because it was full. I'll consider next time. SILVES: Horta Grande I booked a lower bed but ended up in my own room in a twin bed with adjacent bathroom. The bunks have curtains. No breakfast but a bowl of fresh fruit always available. Close to center of town, Lidl, and bus; a bit further to train. Owner was nice as was resident cat. This sits in an orchard next to an historic bridge. Quiet. Not as sociable; although, it was almost empty (not quite season yet) and I was still ill, but getting better. Washed out clothes and dried on rear terrace. There are two terraces, a living-room and kitchen.  CASTRO VERDE: In My House Well... other than climbing through the window?  I had my own room with 4 twin beds. Another room had bunks and curtains. Quiet. Very good location near bus-station. Has a pool. A nice breakfast was included. Not season yet, so no one to talk to. EVORA: Old Evora Hostal I got a lower bunk bed. Quiet. Good location between bus station and center of town. Good breakfast included (fresh lemon juice). Common room and kitchen. Has TV. Some guests were 'working' and therefore less out-going. Adelina, the owner, was approachable and Mafalda was born to work in the hospitality business. I was able to connect with guests and would've done better if I hadn't gotten ill for half of two days (intestinal). A courtyard with a blue fountain in the middle.  Prices? In euros per night: 13 (7), 14 (4) 18 (7), 20 (2) 25 (9) or ~541 for 29 nights. Rating? They were all good. All over 8.5. I did well in choosing places to stay. It helped that I was familiar with two of the hostels (among my favorites in the world) and 3 of the cities. 3 cities were new and that's always a guessing game. I did well. Advice to others: know what matters to you, be prepared to be flexible, don't get sick, be aware of connections, schedules, check-in & check-out times. Read the reviews of others! Nothing is perfect and you can't 'have it your way'. ~840 words 3.072 |
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