I am deeply dissatisfied with the online booking service offered by Zenhotels. I made a reservation for what I thought would be a private room with 2 pets allowed and made a payment of 97 euros, which according to the booking confirmation received, was the total amount for the reservation. I was supposed to only pay 6 euros for the tourist tax and 10 euros per pet for the entire stay. Upon arrival at the hotel (WOT Lisbon Nomad), I was informed that the reservation I had made did not correspond to a private room and that in order to get one, I would have to pay an additional 234.51 euros on top of the already paid 97 euros (this would be for the upgrade to a private room + 10 euros per day per pet). Obviously, this news at the time of check-in and with such a price difference (more than three times the original value) makes it almost impossible for the customer to seek an alternative. Furthermore, I tried to explain to the hotel that the website was not very clear about private or shared rooms, as the room description did not indicate that it was shared. Additionally, it did not mention that the payment for the pets was per day rather than for the entire stay. The person responded that if the website did not have complete information, it was not the hotel's problem. I countered that if they were selling their services through third parties, they are just as responsible as the website promoting them to ensure that the information is accurate; otherwise, they are complicit in a scheme to deceive customers. Finally, I decided not to proceed with the proposal because I found it disrespectful, an excessive charge compared to the original offer, and unprofessional. Therefore, I feel that I was cheated out of the 97 euros that I paid and that I could not use the offered service.
The rooms are small, the staff is good, the location is off the hustle and bustle of the city but with 15 minutes walk of the train station and hop on hop off buses. Beds are large and the shower is good and so is the breakfast. there is little room for anything else so if you are looking to spend a few days in Lisbon it is a good place to park yourself. On the other hand, if you want more room and be in the heart of the Fado places etc..you have a 20-25 minute walk.
What a wonderful, but entirely individual, experience. The set up is one side is a hostel (quite a nice one), where reception, casual tapas restaurant and breakfast are served. The other side is the suites, with a rooftop bar and smart restaurant. The character is faded elegance, shabby chic - entirely purposely and is so authentic. The vibe is superb service from a young, friendly and efficient staff. If you want a suited and booted experience, go elsewhere and probably get worse service. The rooms are of average size, although mine, in comparison with my friends’ had a HUGE bathroom. High ceiling make the rooms feel airy. Proper antique shutters make for a proper blackout experience. The rooms do have areas with peeling paint and could be described as rustic for some - but they are clean and charming and we were delighted. If you want a quiet venue - do not come here - it is noisy, it is in a central location with bars and restaurants around. That said, it is perfectly located to get everywhere in Lisbon. The breakfast which you attend with the hostel residents (who were all lovely) was super, with a good selection - would have liked a little prepared fresh fruit - you can order specialist coffees and hot food as included in the suites rate (these extras have to be paid for by the hostel residents). The same area, with its terrace, houses a tapas restaurant which we visited on the first night. Superb food and service. The rooftop bar is a real treat. AMAZING views with excellent vibe and service. The restaurant beside it we did not visit as did not appeal, but no reason to suspect it wasn’t anything other than fab - as v busy! Lastly, the young chaps on the reception desk were soooo helpful and friendly - perfect English and the wonderful lady in charge of breakfast has to have a mention - what a character and such a super person to have there for the younger travellers. Looking at the reviews, some people just don’t “get it” - it is a different experience from a modern, chain hotel - but we found it wonderful. We heard they are going to be opening other places, but judging by the descriptions, they will be different to this - we would love for them to open things JUST LIKE THIS in other European cities - it is a one off currently and we would like to see more.
It’s been a long time since I was last in a youth hostel, and as a now 45 year old man there is probably a reason for this. Arriving late on the Tuesday night with fond memories of dorm parties and tequila slammers, I was greeted by what I initially thought was captain Jack Sparrow, but who actually transpired to be a very friendly chap who helped us to navigate the intricacies of the main entrance. Door buzzed, suitcases lifted up the stairs and ugh who let mum and dad in looks absorbed, we were handed our keys by a lovely member of the team alongside vouchers for two free shots. Enthusiastically we were informed that the bar was open until 1am that night, although we had missed the pub crawl for the evening. I’m flattered I guess, however we decided to give the shots a miss in favour of a nice sleep. Yup, Father Time catches up with us all… We had a private double with a shared bathroom, and although very small it was comfortable enough. The pillow has perhaps seen better days, but the A/C was a life saver! Spending the days walking around town and doing some gentle exploring, the nights were largely spent for myself at least in the bar area downstairs. It’s a small but perfectly functional area, and in all honesty wasn’t the screaming mess of teenagers away from home for the first time that I had been expecting. At 3 euros a pint I was certainly very happy to sit and read whilst various cool young things did their thing in the background. Declining participation in the pub crawl for a second time, I was tempted with the tapas tasting but plans for the night changed due to friends arriving a day early and diner reservations being made. From a comfort point of view, our bathroom was shared between three double rooms I believe on the third floor, and this was never an issue. I attribute this to the fact that we were likely on very different schedules with us going out for the day and back for the night, as opposed to the perhaps more night based activities of our fellow residents. Bedroom like I said small, but hey, who cares, we weren’t here to sit in a room all day. The breakfast was absolutely fine, and for 5 euros a day you really cannot complain. All in all very happy with my stay, though peeking into an open dorm room one day my god I wouldn’t have survived the week unless you could take 25 years off me! Good job though overall Sant Jordi, and I’d certainly consider staying again - safe, friendly and somewhere I’m sure 20 year old me would have had a blast!