HI Setubal is a great budget option centrally located in the city. It has a full-service bar attached to the property. The rooms are small but comfortable and quiet. This is not a very active hostel and you likely won’t run into many other travelers here. But if you are looking for a cheap bed for the night you can’t go wrong.
An Overview of HI Setubal – Pousada de Juventude – Casa do Largo
Address: Largo José Afonso 24 25, 2900-429 Setúbal
Beds: Wooden bunks. Very sturdy
Facilities: Kitchen, common room with couch and TV, public bar, co-working space
Breakfast: Continental included.
Workspaces: There is a public co-working space at the front of the hostel.
Price: From approximately €20 per night for a bed in a shared room
Parking: No. There is public parking nearby but there is no private parking.
Elevator: No. The property does not currently have a functioning elevator.
Lockers: Yes. There are small lockers with keys in the bedrooms.
Room types: 4-bed male or female dorms. No mixed gender dorms. Private rooms available.
A/C: Yes
Comfort
The beds in the hostel are quite comfortable, with decent mattresses and a good duvet. However, the rooms are very small. There is hardly space to move around between the beds and if you have a bag that won’t fit in the lockers (which can realistically only accommodate a large backpack), then it will be hard not to have it in everyone’s way.
Outside of the rooms there is plenty of space to enjoy. The patio seating in front of the bar is great on a sunny day — but remember that bar is open to the public. Within the hostel there is a common space which has a few tables and chairs as well as a couch.
Location
HI Setubal is very centrally located. The hostel sits on the edge of Largo Zeca Afonso, a large square with a stage where there are sometimes small concerts, as well as the home of the once monthly antique/flea market. You’re about a 10-minute walk to Bocage square as well as Mercado do Livramento.
If you want to go to the beaches, you can make your way to Rock a Lot beach in about 15 minutes on foot. There are also a few bus stops very near by so you can connect easily to the train station or other parts of the city that way.
Staff
The hostel staff are friendly and attentive. There are not many people around, but the front desk is always manned and if you arrive early you may be able to check-in if the room is ready for you.
If you come back late in the evening the door will be monitored by a security guard. There are also people around in the morning setting up breakfast. The staff from the hostel seem to also work the bar, so if you can’t find someone you can always go out there and ask for assistance.
Many of the staff speak English, and all of them of course speak Portuguese.
Cleanliness
The hostel is very clean and well kept. The beds are well made and the sheets are clean. The bathrooms are kept dry and orderly, as is the common space.
Rooms
The rooms at HI Setubal – Pousada de Juventude – Casa do Largo are small. During my stay there were only two of us in a four-bed room and that already felt fairly tight if we were both on our feet.
Of course, there is so much to do in Setubal that you won’t want to be hanging out in your room anyways, but you should know that they are small. If you have a large suitcase it will not fit well. There are small lockers but you’ll struggle to find a good place to keep it that’s out of the way.
Security
The hostel is attached to a bar and is pretty easy to access throughout the day. In the evening the door is manned by a security guard.
The doors to each individual room are always locked and can only be accessed with your digital key card. The property feels safe overall.
Internet
The hostel has its own wifi network which works well. It reaches the rooms ok and it also covers the bar and the downstairs co-working space. You could easily get work done here if needed.
Facilities
Everything at the hostel is clean and well-maintained. However, the kitchen is lacking in many basics. There are not any utensils so it’s difficult to really use it for anything other than a glass of water or to store your food. You could likely ask downstairs for whatever you are missing, but it’s not ideal to not have everything on hand.
Otherwise, you will find everything you need in the bathrooms and bedrooms including all of your bed sheets.
There is also a continental breakfast included in your stay. You’ll get toast, cereal, juices, and coffee — it’s plenty to get your day started.
