Penedo da Saudade - Suites & Hostel — Hotel in Coimbra

Before booking this place please remember: They call themselves hostel and it doesn't change its character with the "&Suites" in the name. if you are older than 30 you might be disturbed by following:||||1. Rooftop terracces is used by the hostel and - most likley older - "suite" guests. Whenever guest are going up or down you might hear it in your room. The remodilling didn't include noise proof walls and doors...||||2. the street nearby seems to be "not a main road" -however there are freqently care going (upwards, only one direction) however it's a old cobblstone street which makes extreme noise - windows plus inside blinds (as usual in PT) keep the noise a bit away - better use ear plugs!||||3. everybody (!! almost !!) in Portugal who is younger than 30 smokes, cigarettes and all kind of funny things are allowed. So be prepared for cigarette smoke on the balconies and potential partying from the young crowd in this hostel.||||4. bathroom is open to room and sink stinks (old dry tubes!), limited space in bathroom area||||Anyway I want to highlight the extremly nicely done renovation of this old mansion and it would be great to come here with a archticetional class on excursion. However the concept to promote this a hostel AND hotel (s.above) and the steep rates (80-120€/night is expensive for Coimbra and Portugal - it isn't in city center) makes this place a very poor value unless you can accept sleepless nights and join the party....||||Service is limited (bar closes at 18:00 which is good to avoid partying crowd!), reception is open only couple of hours/day - a bit unprofessional messages came via my Expedia booking app (asked for creditcard details even Expedia had)||||Not...

This is a brilliantly and newly restored elegant and upscale mansion in a posh residential neighbourhood of the city. I stayed in one of the downstairs dorms and was very impressed by the thoughtful design of the dorms and bathrooms. The décor is also very upscale for a dorm, and the bathrooms are rather unique. A small gripe is that the bathroom tissue dispensers can be annoyingly finicky. There are several small and imaginatively furnished social rooms throughout the property. It is possible to hike up here with luggage from the bus station as I did, provided one is in good shape and use Google Maps or an equivalent. When I arrived in early afternoon the front door was locked and no one responded to repeated pressing of the buzzer button, and so I had to sit on the front steps until the owner (I assume) arrived. He was friendly and apologetic but I did have about a half hour wait. I met another dorm guest who had the same thing happen, so let him in. Both dorm and suite guests receive the same breakfast buffet, which is about the best I’ve ever had in a hostel. A lady (also likely the owner) oversees the buffet and ensures that everything stays topped up and clean. One can choose to dine on the rooftop terrace that has an extensive view over the city. I’d like to have given this property five stars, but the combination of a somewhat challenging location to reach on foot, and unavailability of staff at certain times brought my overall assessment down...

This is located in a quaint area with villas, up the hill. The building is nice and the rooms are even nicer. Being on the side kf the building meant an irregular room with balcony all around and classical system of blindfolding. The views are fantastic from the long balcony. Everything in the room is carefully selected. For the price it was a really great experience. The room on the rooftop where the breakfast is served is very beautiful, breakfast selection is decent. ||On the cons, I had to wait for the check in for 25 minutes as it was very slow for 1 person and 1 group ahead. This was frustrating because the check-in hours are limited, 3 to 5 ,and we skipped some attractions to be there before 5, which proved pointless. Also, it has a dormitory for hostel underground and due to poor isolation we were awaken at 5 in the morning on a Thursday by energetic guests returning from the city and loudly chatting and laughing on ground floor. Noise from the street is small problem as there is little traffic, but again phonic...