Americans are generally creeped out by sharing bunkroom accommodations with strangers, and this hostel goes even further: All of the dorms, restrooms and showers are co-ed! Get a load of this sign on one of the restrooms....
In the American worldview, a mixing of the genders like this would be a recipe for some kind of porno and/or slasher film, but everyone here seems comfortable, even the 20% of guests who are American. There are still healthy boundaries between individuals, and people get along.
You can't beat the price: between €14 and €22 per night ($20-30) in the central tourist district of Lisbon. Tonight (midweek), I am paying €14, and tomorrow night €18. For this low price, I get a bunk with fresh linen and a blanket, a locker and key, free Wifi, free continental breakfast, free use of kitchen facilities, free communal laundry and all the community I want.
Here's another sign to amuse you, found on the wall of the common room....
The name of this hostel is simply "Home". It used to be called "Easy Hostel Lisbon," but for some reason the owner felt the need to change it. I found it through HostelWorld.com. (Here is its entry there) This is one of the highest rated hostels in a great hosteling city, but I chose it mainly for its low price and free WiFi (both in the common areas and in the rooms). As I see it, I am paying for 24 hours of WiFi and getting free lodging thrown in!
Here is what the hostel looks like from the outside....
Here is the front desk and the free computer terminals for guests...
The common room is also on this floor...
There is also a public kitchen on this floor....
Here is an extra service provided by this hostel that I've never seen before...
My bunkroom is similar to the one show at the top of this article. There are six beds to a room, and a locker for each. When you check in, you get an electronic key-card for the room and an key for your locker. Here is the view from my window....
Sleeping in a mixed gender room and using mixed gender restrooms also seems normal after a while. For the record, I have never seen anyone, of any gender, naked in a hostel. Where do people changes clothes? In a mixed gender environment like this, the only places you have any reliable privacy are the toilet stalls and shower stalls, so it has to be there. (Most hostels do provide the option of at least female-only rooms. You'll see it when you make your reservations on HostelWorld.)
As the compromise for the low price, you have to expect a loss of privacy. You are virtually forced to be part of a community, which I think is good. You don't meet many locals here but you do meet travelers from all over the world. Tourist guidebooks seem superfluous, since you can simply ask your fellow travelers where they have been and how to get there. If not for hostels, my visits to Europe would be very sterile and isolated. I think I would prefer hostels even if I could afford standard hotels. (If I could afford a rental car, though, I might prefer to see the countryside and sleep in the car.)
No matter what country you are visiting, the standard language between hostelers is English. When you meet, the first question is, "Where are you from?" The conversation usually flows naturally from there. At a hostel, you have a chance to experience the best of people, because before anyone has a chance to get on anyone else's nerves, people move on to the next city.
My roommates last night were 3 friendly Brazilian girls, a fellow from Norway and an Asian woman who speaks to no one. (I don't know if she is standoffish or her English is poor.) The night before there was a group of three from England (two men and a woman), an Australian chap and the same silent Asian woman. This is a common mix. You can bond instantly with your roommates or have virtually no contact with them.
The term "youth hostel" is roughly accurate in the European sense, where they consider people "youths" up to the age of 26. Most people are in the 20s. At age 49, I am often the oldest person in the hostels I visit (apart from the staff), but I try not to let on. Except for a few non-profit hostels, there is rarely any age discrimination, and I have sometimes seen retired people use them. Even if I could afford to stay in the Hilton, I would probably still prefer a hostel when available.
It's now almost 2am in the common room, and the party has dispersed. The nine people who are still awake have all settled down to watch the Sex in the City movie. (It's better, at least, than the violent American flick that was playing earlier.) Time for me to go to bed.
BTW: The total cost of my 3-night visit to Lisbon, including lodging, food, sightseeing and ground transportation: €60 ($85).
Also see my other photos from Lisbon and How to Sleep in a Hostel.
Before I left the hostel, I had a chance to chat with the proprietor, Jorge. This is the only hostel he owns. He says he is a former backpacker himself, and he designed the hostel based on his own experiences. He started on only one floor several years ago (I think he said 2004.) and later expanded to two.
This appears to be an example of a hostel that couldn't exist without HostelWorld.com. The website allowed him to start a new hostel and get it noticed by travelers with very little marketing cost. (Compare this with the struggle of starting a small hotel.)
Jorge says the free laundry service was his own idea and that no other hostel is doing it. (He recalled that when backpacking he began to stink after a while because he had no place to wash his clothes.)
I think the fact that this is an individual owner rather than a corporate one is reflected in the quality of the hostel and the enthusiasm of the staff. This is someone who obviously cares about his business and isn't just a hired hand. He seemed to indicate that he was making money, which is good. It's nice to give people value for their money while still doing okay for yourself.
©2009, Glenn Campbell, PO Box 30303, Las Vegas, NV 89173.
Released from Lisbon, Portugal.
You are welcome to comment on this entry below.
Released from Lisbon, Portugal.
You are welcome to comment on this entry below.
Great article mate, really enjoyed reading it. Portugal has some amazing hostels but 'Home' is my fav!
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how envious I am of you, bro. I'm a 17 year old from Cali who has plans to visit San Diego next week with nowhere to stay because everywhere requires 18+, even the hostels. Meanwhile, you're traveling all over the world, sleeping where you want because you're a much more brave man than I, and finding hostels that are warm, open, and cheap.
ReplyDeleteI can't even camp at a campsite as they require 18+. It's ridiculous how a teenager here can't travel, yet a teenager there can stay at a hostel for 20 bucks a night and buy beer for a Euro.
This informations is great! Thanks for writing! keep it up!
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