This will be less a review than a love letter, but I needed someplace to stay for 30 days in…read moreLisbon, & every other hostel I contacted had a two week maximum. These people were kind enough to take a chance on me for that long, & even so, you know, here you show up the first nite in the pouring rain, not sure what to expect from the full month you signed up for... You go through this old green door & up the stairs, it's a building from deep in time, & your room is simple & sweet, just like the breakfast every morning, & week after week you fall into a rhythm with the hilarious kindhearted mother from Brazil who cleans out your room for instance, or the clever Canadian dude who does music, or the young Portuguese gal who watches MTV & loves poetry & ice cream, & her streetwise young friend who stops by to share food with her & also works the bar in the little concert hall downstairs. Ahh, & the concert hall downstairs...so much jammin' gorgeous awesome music comes out of that place, & sometimes it's packed to the gills, & better times it's more relaxed & open, & if you're in the mood you can put on shoes & go down & rock out a little, but either way you'll be standing at the tiny balcony waiting for your food to cook some nite, & the lilting strains of a world class cover of "So Rude" will come drifting up through the alleyway, & you'll wonder how you got to be this classy. I don't want to embarrass him, but there's a guy who works there with his wife, who looks herself like an icon of vintage Italian cinema...& it's the most touching thing, whether it's her, or one of several other employees who do the overnite shift, it doesn't matter what's going on or what kind of day you might be having, they are always, always sitting there in the front room in the dark, sometimes with a full nest of blankets gathered up around them, just there on hand to let you in. I think it's a little on the miraculous side, but in truth not once in all those 30 days was there even a hint that I was being a hassle to them, no matter what time of the night I might show up. You can hardly imagine it. My last nite a woman I'd spoken with a few times, who lived in the States in the 80s, she was the one on duty. It was 3 or 4 in the morning, I had to go get a cab for a very early flight. but she was still up & around to serve me a last beer from the little fridge & take my key & ease me through the pain of saying a very tough goodbye. But anyway this guy, we were watching Portuguese news around the TV one lunchtime, & it was the latest from D to the T, & then it was some shooting at a Black Friday whatever, & footage of all these Americans with shopping bags running through some retail landscape screaming, & I said to this guy, just half-jokingly like "Man, what must you think of us after all this, for real...?!" He responded with some candid & heavy words that I'll never forget, & he talked about some of the indignities of dealing directly with American tourists besides, which one can only imagine. Listen, the neighborhood goes late & loud, & it's definitely not ideal for young children & all that, but there's still a level of poise & decorum that I would assert is very native to Portugal & also very easy for Americans to blow past in their blind appetite for diversion & recreation overseas. Which is me trying to put it as diplomatically as possible. Graffiti from a wall down the block: ENJOY // BEHAVE So I would just say that this place gets 10 out of 5 stars for me, that they allowed my experience in Lisbon to be the life-changing period that it was, by so many simple steady acts of kindness & welcome, & I would ask that if you go there, that you treat the place & its people with your utmost goodness & respect. 'Alface' is the Portuguese word for lettuce, & the designation 'Lisboeta' for residents is typically supplanted by 'Alfacinha'. As I understand it the exact history is somewhat shrouded, but one theory is that in a time of war the city was barricaded by a hostile force & lettuce was the only way the trapped people could survive. That quiet strength & dignity I found among them, & it was so beautiful, & I drank it deep. I could have walked away with a much more mediocre experience & still been pretty happy, but instead, & massively because of Alface Hostel, it was perfection. Thank you. CR

Stunning! Excellent Music between 10-12 pm weekdays ( at…read moreleast on wednesdays :) Good cocrails, very cosy atmosphere and decoration Best Lisboa destination!

Great location,clean,good price,nice breakfast,wonderful employees and very nice owners!…read moreWould love to permanently live there! Joseph T. ,Oregon USA

Really simple hostel. The furniture is so old and cranky that it's charming. Really friendly host…read moreand cheap fares. Located in the middle of Lisbons party district. The rooms are a little bit loud, so you should have eartips with you for worst case.

Great place! Friendly staff, clean room daily, wonderful location, free internet... very easy to…read moreget to right near baixachiado metro station. On a street with nightlife that goes til 4 am (but still the room is quiet). I hear that booking in advance is the best way to get a lower rate. COME STAY HERE!!

Super cute place! Fresh bread on your door each morning. Good location to public transports and…read morethere is even a small grocery store on the same block. I opted for the rock and roll themed room with a private bathroom. Comfy bed and a spacious room. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone passing through!

A beautiful Hostel with comfortable beds, big rooms and great showers. The breakfast was amazing!…read morethe best breakfast I've ever had at a hostel...by far! The people working there are very friendly and helpful. The location was ideal as your a close walk to the university and other sites. I would love to come back and spend more time! Thanks

nice hostel in bairro alto. staff are extremely friendly,…read moreprices are cheap and the kitchen's good to cook your own stuff. free internet places available. why not 5 stars? i think they could invest a little to renovate some of the rooms, especially the bathrooms. and the breakfast was just breadrolls with marmelade and butter just a little bit more would be great.

We were SO impressed with this hostel! My brother and I took a cab from the airport and were a bit…read moresurprised when it pulled up to the side of the road because it was pretty unassuming and there wasn't really a big flashy sign or anything like that. We were slightly confused at first because when we walked through the doors, it seemed like a residential building. The hostel is located on the second floor, up the stairs, so not very accessible, but very convenient if you are able-bodied and a light packer. The doors were locked so we rang the doorbell - great first step for security. The first thing we smelled was clean! And by "clean", I mean they were actually cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming at the time, which is always a good sign. We found out later they clean twice a day, which is ah-mazing. We got there too early for check-in, but we were given a glass of water (tap water is fine to drink here) and able to lock our bags in the storage until check-in. We could even use the computer in the common area or just hang out if we wanted to, but we decided to explore a little and get some lunch. Once we were able to check-in, we paid the remaining balance for our beds (we booked with a deposit through Hostelworld), got our keys, and were shown the rest of the hostel. It's one floor, with a communal female bathroom and a communal male bathroom, with private showers and toilet stalls, plus a private single bathroom down the hall. Some toiletries are provided in the bathrooms, which you are welcome to use for free. We stayed in the 12-person mixed dorm for just 10 Euros per night. We originally only booked two nights, but loved it so much we decided to stay the whole week, and glad we did, because it's incredibly popular and filled up quickly. Our beds were comfy, with pillows and linens included, a privacy curtain, and a lamp, plug, and shelf, 3 beds stacked, with huge storage below (bring your own lock). There is also a kitchen with an oven, stove, pots, and pans, oils and spices, and fridge where you can store a few small groceries of your own, plus use some common ones, as well as laundry facilities, and option for dollar beers during happy hour. There is a free breakfast every morning, which consists of bread, cheese, ham, different jams and spreads (if you get the option to try the homemade tomato jam, DO IT!), cereal, coffee, tea, and juice. Every day/night, there are different events that are run by the staff or third-party partners, like dinners, pub crawls, and tours. We were able to try petiscos (kind of like tapas), Amarguinha almond liqueur, and go on a day trip to Sintra. Reception is open 24 hours and there's basically quiet time in the common area after 11pm, but most people go to their rooms/beds or go out, anyway. We met so many great people and fellow travellers, and the staff is amazingly down-to-earth and knowledgeable. The vibe matches the demographic - young and fresh, with people generally in their 20s. Location is fantastic, right at the top of Bairro Alto, where there are a ton of bars and restaurants, and a park/lookout directly across the street, Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara. We had a wonderful time and would stay here again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended!

Great hostel in the heart of Lisbon. I stayed at the 6 person room and I think the 9 person one is…read morea lot cooler - bigger space and vibe. They have privacy curtains and a reading lamp. It's a 3 level junk, so be prepared for tight space. Breakfast is free and food. Overall, great hostel!