I would write this review in Portuguese but I literally forgot the entire language just now so I…read morewas going to write this in espana but people in Portugal get mad when you speak Spanish due to the fact that they don't speak that in Portugal. Anyway, the hostel was cold! Not literally but in the cool kind of way, like, yo, that's cold. Which is interesting because cool/cold have similar meanings in both respects, so, whoever came up with that one, my hat is off to them (I also enjoy that expression). I spent most of the weekend figuring why they call the hostel this name and I finally found out it has something to do with a rooster waking up. I would have called this place 'good morning cock' to reduce any sort of confusion. I digress (I think), I liked most of the people here, except for, well, nobody, except, I didn't feel like going back to delete the earlier part of the sentence. I'm listening to Toosie Slide while I write this and I would really like the know what that means too (it might have something to do with Drake being Canadian - I think they call Canadians 'Toosies' but literally don't quote me). Hope this review helps!

Such a fun and clean hostel. "Mama" of the hostel made us fresh crepes every morning while we…read moreconversed with the other backpackers about our travels. Great memories!

It's a very budget hostel. Not the best hostel I've ever seen, but staff is good and outside…read moreterrace is good for meeting other travellers.

My girlfriend and I checked in here after finishing another hiking day on the Rota Vicentina. It's…read moresuch a warm and welcoming place even in the off season (it's wintertime here). João, the proprietor, was super helpful with tips about local food and drink, and shared some great jokes with us. We loved talking to him. We got a double room here and instead of a simple hostel room with 2 bunk beds, we got a PALATIAL room with a queen size bed, a private balcony, and a bathroom with all the trimmings (even a bidet!). Of course the hostel has the typical hostel trimmings including a welcoming common area, a fully-appointed kitchen, and a nice rooftop deck. But in addition to the sweet room we got, the price was unbeatable. A mere €35 for each of us! You can't beat that price, not to mention the atmosphere and facilities. We hope to come back.

From the owner: O Hakuna Matata Hostel é um hostel situado na Zambujeira do Mar ( concelho de Odemira), e foi…read morecriado com o intuito de fornecer alojamento de qualidade, com um ambiente descontraído...e a um preço acessível! Dispomos de 3 quartos, áreas comuns de lazer (uma das quais um terraço) e cozinha totalmente equipada. A decoração mistura o ambiente de praia, com o rústico... e ainda todas as influências trazidas das viagens que os próprios proprietários fazem. O hostel está no centro da aldeia,e a 1m da praia. Estamos também muito perto de todos os "serviços" necessários: supermercado, restaurantes, café, papelaria, bares, etc!

Stayed here for three nights while in Lagos a few days ago…read more I found this hostel purely by accident upon searching for hostels in Lagos. I made a tentative booking through booking.com and was fortunate enough that the place was open. Most of the other hostels I encountered during my stay were closed for the low season. My visit here did not start that well. I got a bit lost on the way to the hostel from the bus station. Thankfully I had the GPS on my smartphone to guide me. When I arrived at the hostel after about a fifteen minute walk, there was a sign on the door informing me that the staff member had stepped away but would return, and left a phone number to contact. As I don´t have phone service here, and am relying on WhatsApp, Magic Jack and a few other services, this was impossible. Luckily, another tenant came along soon after and graciously let me into the reception area and gave me a snack while I waited. We chatted for awhile and I eventually used her cellphone to call the person on duty. Check in was okay, though there was a bit of a language barrier. We got it sorted out soon enough and I was shown to my place. I shared an eight-bed suite with one other person during my stay. There were three bunk beds in one room and one in another, complete with some small lockers in the room. The suite had a good size kitchen, complete with fridge, microwave, hot plate, kettle, sandwich maker and toaster. There were lots of pots, pans and plates along with some cutlery that desperately needed replacement. Finally there was a small table and two comfy armchairs. It was nicely decorated with small homely touches, as well as a good-sized dresser in the second room. The bathroom was a nice size but needed some TLC. Just outside our suite, we had our own little sundeck with a few sun chairs. One of my main issues with the suite itself was the lighting. In the bathroom, there was only one small light which was only around the sink area at the entrance. This meant relatively dark showers. Speaking of which, the water pressure was very poor. A new showerhead would have made a world of difference. Another issue was that there was no heating. I got lucky during my stay - every day was 15 to 18C but in the evenings it got quite cold. There were no panel heaters or anything but the sheets and blankets to keep me warm, which I´ll admit they did, but walking around I got a chill quickly. During my three day stay the suite was not cleaned once. Not a huge deal, as it wasn´t desperately in need of refreshing, but by the time I left the garbage in the kitchen was full, the hand towel could have used washing, etc. I got the feeling that perhaps people stay here for more than a few days at a time, and that perhaps the cleaner will come in once a week or so. One positive of their relaxed treatment was that they were very flexible with regards to check-out. It didn´t seem to matter to them if you told them at 10am or 3pm - though it was hit or (usually) miss that someone would be at the reception area. The location was a bit of a miss as well. As I said it was about fifteen minutes walk from the bus station, on the other side of the pedestrian bridge. This meant that the town centre and Lagos`amazing beaches were on the other side. Once you crossed the bridge, it was another ten minutes by foot to the main restaurant and business centre. The owners were nice enough to lend me a bike for a few days at no charge, and so I saved some time biking across the bridge all the way to the various beaches. I shouldn´t complain about a free bike, but it was a bit rusty and the brakes were shot. That said, it did the job nicely. The WIFI was rock solid and never gave me one moment of trouble in the three days. The bunk beds were also pretty comfortable, though a bit creaky. Our view out the door in the morning was fantastic - looking out at a beach in the distance. As for price, I booked the hostel at E9.5 through booking.com the first night but through the magic of language translation confusion, was able to negotiate a discount for the remaining nights. I understand the other hostels in the city charge a similar rate at this time of year, but once again, they were mostly closed, and in my experience almost impossible to find! I should mention that most of Lagos was very quiet with not a lot of tourists, but is still well worth a visit for a few days of r&r.

Very poor return service. Please ask them about the return policy. They do not accept returns…read moreafter 30 days. If you return and item within 30 days, there is no refunds. You have to purchase other items instead. The manager is a total a$$ about return policy. Very rude to say the least!! Would not recommend this place to family or friends. Better stores to shop at this mall with better quality products. Shopped this mall in September 2018.

This hostel provides absolutely no safety at all!! They have small wooden chests in each room where…read moreyou are supposed to put your things in. However, these chests have so thin metal chains which are to small to slide a lock through them!!! Plus the chains are so delicate it wouldn't be a big deal to remove them! We had things stolen from the room because we weren't able to lock them. The hostel doesn't have any camera surveillance so they weren't even able to find out who entered the room. Watch out, folks, if you want to book this hostel!!! I don't recommend.

The prices are really cheap and also it is very well located. The shared rooms are clean.read more

From the owner: We present a colorful cozy decoration and offer 6 rooms from dorms with 6 to 8 beds with shared…read morebathrooms to private quadruple rooms and an apartment with a double bed. We have wide common areas with all the commodities you need: fully equipped kitchen, dining room, living rooms, TV and even offer books, board games, PlayStation and amazing terraces with sofas, lounge chairs and puffers that offers an amazing view of the riverside and sea. We are in a privileged location in the center of Alvor village, right next to the main bar and restaurant street with lot's of nightlife and still manage to be at a short walking distance from the sea and riverside! We have free WiFi, linens, bath towels and daily cleaning

THE BEST! Ksenia, works in the shop. She is the most kind…read moreand patient person I've met on my travels. I've never surfed before, and regardless of the long lines, she took time to explain to me each and every little thing I'd need in order to have a wonderful time. Marcus and Marcelle, the instructors were a perfect teaching pair. One stern and direct to tell me what I needed to know and one that jokes and encourages. They are an incredible shop. If you're looking for a surf rental, are a beginner, or are nervous, magic board centre is the only place I recommend

There is a reason these guys are 5 star rated. Excellent company with all the top boards, great…read moreprices and personalized service. I went to Lagos since I wanted to surf in the sun. It's been rainy and grey in Seattle since October. I needed some vitamin D. When I got to Lagos, I started looking for surf lessons and board rental shops. I searched TripAdvisor & Google reviews. Most shops had overall positive feedback but also had negative feedback too. Every shop except this shop. They were 5 STAR rated. Reading through the reviews of them, was very encouraging. I decided to go visit them. Upon entering the shop for the first time, you realize this is a surf board shop. Not a clothing shop that also rents surfboards. This is what the real board shops look like that I visited in the USA & Brasil. There focus is on the boards, and it shows. They have all the top brands in the different styles and sizes. I was pleasantly suprrised to see they also had Tomo boards to purchase / rent. I've not seen that outside of the USA. There were two people who greeted me who I assume were the owners. They welcomed me in and we chatted for a bit. I explained what I was looking for and then the guy took me over to find the right board for me, while the gal looked up the different beaches to show me where I should go. The board I ended up renting was brand new! I was the first rider on it. While the guy was waxing the board, the gal explained the tides a bit for the Lagos area and gave me some tips and tricks. 15 minutes later I had a board and all the info I needed to enjoy a day of surfing in Lagos. And with their tips, I knew that the tide went out again at 4pm so I should hit it up shortly after and I can get an evening surf session in. Both the owners were fantastic. They gave me excellent service and rented me the perfect board for my day of surfing for a great value. I would highly recommend you check these guys out when visiting Lagos.