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REVIEW: Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon

by Katie Dawes

Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon Review Contents:

Overall Rating | The AtmosphereThe Staff | The Room | The Location | The Price

Hans Brinker Lisbon Logo

Last year I stayed in the self-proclaimed ‘worst hotel in the world.’ A.k.a. Hans Brinker Amsterdam! You can read my review by clicking here and find out that actually, it was pretty damn awesome!

So when I got the opportunity recently to visit the second Hans Brinker Hostel in Lisbon, I jumped at it!

If there was one thing I knew before setting foot in their new hostel, it was that I was in for a fun week. Not only were they hosting their annual summer party that same weekend. But Hans Brinker are notorious for their party lifestyle and crazy staff.

And the best thing about all of this was that instead of experiencing Hans Brinker in chilly Amsterdam, I’d get to do it on their hostel terrace in 28 degree sunshine! So, because I always try and find the best hostel experiences for you guys, I took up the challenge of surviving another week at Hans Brinker.

To see how I survived, press play on the video at the top of this article or just keep reading!

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Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon Overall Rating

Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon Review

The Atmosphere

I’m going to begin this section by letting you know that Happy Hour runs every day in Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon. A regular Heineken beer is just €2.40 (and you get 2 for 1 during Happy Hour), the staff get to choose their favourite music (and how loud they play it), and you can play beer pong on request.

So incase I didn’t make it clear in the travel vlog, this hostel knows how to party!

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But whether you like to party or prefer to chill, the atmosphere at the hostel is just happy. I can’t think of any better word to describe the feelings you get when you walk into the bar area and see the staff jumping around with massive grins on their faces.

There’s happiness in the air at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon, and you’d be a fool not to experience it for yourself!

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One thing I was seriously impressed with was the way in which guests interacted, despite the size of the terrace and bar area. I’ve been to plenty of hostels that had huge open spaces. But guests would be sitting alone, metres away from each other and not interacting at all.

But at Hans Brinker I spent hours chatting with an American kid just about to do his first tour of Europe, a psychology professor with a passion for poetry, and a Polish dude visiting friends in Portugal. I even teamed up with a Brazilian to absolutely school two German guys on how to play beer pong like a pro! What can I say, beer pong isn’t just for the guys…

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Needless to say, this interaction between all the guests and the happy atmosphere in the air at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon had everything to do with the incredible staff working there. But I’m going to talk about them later so now I want to tell you about the Hans Brinker Summer Party…

Events at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon

So I was super lucky to be in Lisbon at the same time as the Hans Brinker Summer Party! There was an awesome band, plenty of tasty nibbles, and what seemed like an endless line of shots coming my way! I even learned to Salsa!

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The best thing was that, as well as inviting friends and family of the business, the party was open to all the guests staying in the hostel at the time. So while it will be a whole year until the next one, you might just get lucky and get to experience an impromptu terrace party during your stay!

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The Staff

I could write a whole separate article on how incredible the hostel staff are at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon. But I’m not going to because you came here for a succinct hostel review, not a book. So instead, I’m going to (try) and recap the awesome staff in order of appearance:

When I first arrived at the hostel, I was checked in by Kelly. Not only is she way cooler than I am (the girl’s got fierce bangs). She’s also got the most welcoming smile, which didn’t falter as I asked for towels, maps, lockers and everything else that makes me the fussiest hostel guest ever.

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Then I spent my first evening at the bar (of course) with other hostel guests. Which is when I got to know Ivo and we ended up in a very deep conversation about Lisbon’s most famous poet, Fernando Pessoa. But don’t be fooled into thinking Ivo is all serious, just watch the travel vlog to see his funky dance moves.

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The next day, the Hans Brinker HQ staff arrived from Amsterdam and after hanging with them I got to know the resident chef at Hans Brinker Lisbon: Chrissy. And let’s just say, every hostel needs a Chrissy. He’s the party starter, so avoid him if you’re not a fan of Jägermeister.

That evening hostel manager Max let us all tag along to a party at one of Lisbon’s most beautiful viewpoints! I’ve hung out with him before in Amsterdam and no matter which city he’s in, you’ll always find him grinning away and dancing to the best music he can find in the city!

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Over the next few days I had the pleasure of getting to know Rita, Johnny and Junior. They work on the bar and reception, but I spent more time dancing with them than asking for advice on the city. Shout out to Rita and Junior turning up the tunes for my final night of dancing in the hostel bar with the trusty Brinker mascot, Ricky!

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And finally, I think I need to mention just how cool the Hans Brinker senior management staff are. As I said, the Brinker HQ team turned up on my second day in Lisbon and partied just as hard as the Lisbon crew… if not harder!

You’re not likely to meet them when you book your stay at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon. But I wanted to point it out to show that Hans Brinker is a lifestyle, not just a hostel!

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The Room

Exceptionally clean, and with a door leading out onto a balcony that overlooked the terrace(!), my room at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon had everything I needed to get a great night’s sleep. Which you really need after three or more Jäger-bombs before bed!

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Another thing I loved about the four-bed mixed dorm was that there was plenty of floor space. And to add to it, there was even a wardrobe in the room! Stumbling over backpacks and suitcases can be such a nuisance when you’re trying to sneak back into your bed after a pub crawl. So having so much room for storage is a huge bonus.

The floor to ceiling door leading onto the balcony let in the perfect natural light during the day. Although I should point out that some of the rooms have windows instead of doors. And when it came to getting a good night’s sleep, the curtains were black out curtains.

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One thing that I think Hans Brinker are great at is offering good value for money. Most hostels these days charge towel rental if you don’t bring your own. But each bed at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon comes with a fresh towel, and each room will soon come with lockers for each guest. Although if you need an extra locker, there are some downstairs in the luggage room.

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En-Suite Bathroom

This part’s pretty exciting! Most of you probably know that the majority of hostels have shared bathrooms in the corridors, rather than en-suites in the room. Well Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon has an en-suite in every room! Which means no more padding around in flip flops, carrying your toiletries in a plastic bag.

To top it off, the cleaners came every day to keep the bathroom sparkling clean, and the pressure and temperature of the push-button showers was on-point!

The Location

Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon isn’t in the centre of the city. But with Uber being so cheap in Lisbon (just €3 from the hostel to the clubs!) and two metro stations right outside the hostel this wasn’t a problem at all.

And actually, as it wasn’t in the centre it was also closer to the airport, which was really helpful! That being said, I still walked into the city centre most days. The walk is just over twenty minutes and you really get to see the best of the city that way.

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Directions to Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon by Aerobus

When I landed at Lisbon airport, I decided to get the Aerobus to the hostel. I’d read on the Hans Brinker website that it stopped just a short walk from the hostel, and cost just €3.50. Which made it cheap and super easy!

The only issue I found with the Aerobus was that they didn’t announce any of the stops. I have a great phone plan that lets me use data abroad at no extra cost, so I used Google Maps to track where I was going. But a lot of the other travellers on the bus were really confused.

Still, it was super easy to jump on as it leaves from right outside the airport. To buy your ticket online in advance, click here.

Directions to Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon by Metro

Metro tickets cost just €1.40, which makes getting the metro from the airport to Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon the cheapest option. Just hop on the pink line and get off at Saldanha. From there, the hostel is just an eight-minute walk.

If you want to get even closer, change at Saldanha for the yellow line. Take the metro in the direction of Rato, and hop off at Picoas. From there, the hostel is just a three-minute walk away.

To download a map of the Lisbon metro, click here.

The Price

A four-bed mixed dorm like the one I stayed in costs just 18 EUR* a night – which is insanely cheap for any city in the summer season!

If you’re on an even tighter budget, you can get a bed in an eight-bed dorm for just 14 EUR* per night. Or you could treat yourself by upgrading to a private single room for just 27 EUR* a night – which is the same price as a bed in a dorm room in other cities in Europe!

Hans Brinker Lisbon Prices June 2017

And as you can see, there is a huge range of room sizes and prices to suit all. But you can also see that I’m not the only one who loves Hans Brinker as so many beds are already sold out for June! So book quick!

Another point to mention is that this price includes breakfast. The breakfast spread is huge, with bread slices and loaves, cheese and ham, yoghurt and muesli, and traditional Portuguese pastries! To top it off there’s juice and coffee (my daily fuel!).

My advice is to book directly from the Hans Brinker Amsterdam website to get the best prices and see everything that’s on offer.

Book now

*Prices for June 2017

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Needless to say, I absolutely bloody loved my stay at Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon! A huge part of this has everything to do with how friendly the staff were, and how great they were at getting all the guests involved in the activities. But the hostel itself also has fantastic facilities, is in a great location, and offers incredible value for money.

So, what are you waiting for?!

I would like to thank Hans Brinker Hostel Lisbon for sponsoring my stay with them, but as always opinions are honest and entirely my own. And I honestly loved my stay at this hostel!

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