Residencia Nazareth - Lisbon, Portugal     

We received rather cold welcome as we arrived in this hostel. The elderly man behing the desk was rude and obviously never heard about customer oriented approach... Quite similar experience with the previous review :) In addition, our room was poorly cleaned and there was horrible smell - as if there had been someone smoking constantly...might have come from the carpeting. I'd say that this was poor value for the money. Even though it wasn't expensive, we had much better experiences with the same/lower price through Lisbon and other Portugal. Served as one night stop, nothing more. Have to say, though, that the amazing store "El Corte Ingles" within 2 minutes walk was great with everything one could wish. And a vast crocery store downstairs.

In a time when $1 only buys you ?0.63 (as of 3/7/08), finding a hotel that won't break the bank becomes cumbersome. With that in mind, Residencia Nazareth gives you a good value albeit at the expense of other things you look for in a hotel. A quad room for 5 nights at ?78 per night is an arguably fantastic rate, but the praises of this hotel don't go much further than that. Don't get me wrong. Nazareth is a clean, well-managed establishment. The room is bright and airy, furnished with tv, bedstand, closet, and air-conditioning. Housekeeping does a good job of cleaning and supplying the rooms with fresh linen, towels, and other amenities. Breakfast is included, although it's forgettable. It is the same offering every morning consisting of ham, cheese, assorted breads, coffee, and what appears to be Tang. Good if you are hungry, but absolutely nothing to wake up specially for. The hotel is just east of Parque Eduardo VII. The closest metro station is Parque, which is a 100-meter walk downhill. If you are in the market for a new car, the BMW, Mercedes, and Smart dealerships are adjacent to the hotel in the same building. And just like pretty much of all Lisbon, there are banks and ATMs all around the hotel. Despite the proximity of the park, metro, and ATMs, there is nothing else great about this location. There are no nearby convenient stores or supermarkets. Most eateries are shut down by 7pm. There are only a handful of eateries that remain open later, but you really need to walk a good 15 to 20 minutes before you can find one. Lastly, the reception staff. During my stay, there were at least 4 receptionists that rotated duties. These guys are friendly enough and will engage you in conversation, with the exception of one. I never got the guy's name, but he does not belong in the hotel business. Never looks up from the desk and never greets you. Following is a conversation that I had with him. Me: Do you have internet? Guy: No. Me: Can you tell me a place closeby where I can use the internet? Guy: Mall. Me: Um, what is the name of the mall? Guy: Columbus. Me: How do I get there? Guy: Take Metro. Me: What is the metro stop where I should get off? Guy: (Mumbles inaudibly) At this point I was just having fun irritating him cos I knew he had no desire to be helpful. Ah well, I just hope he never comes to visit my town and expects any help getting around.