On our recent trip to Lisbon, we were there for two nights/three days, and we stayed at Flores Guest House. This accommodation is set-up in a pretty cool and unique way; instead of being an actual single guest house, or in a hotel style, they book out various flatlets in different buildings all situated in and around Praça das Flores (the Flower Square). The very first impression you get when looking at its surrounding area and your room is that it is charming, cute and overall has a fresh and happy energy. Malick’s first words when he entered the room were, “Now this really feels like a Euro summer holiday.” That being said, here are ten reasons to stay at Flores Guest House.
- Staying here is really affordable considering what you get out of it as an accommodation, even just at face-value. When looking for accommodation in Lisbon especially in the summer, you will find places can be more expensive and not nearly as visually appealing. Their standard double rooms start at around €76 per night (roughly R1200), which is unheard of during peak season for a place this appealing. We had a garden-view room which is a little more expensive, but not by much.
- The rooms are newly decorated so almost everything is modern (except for a few vintage touches) and in great condition, without losing its distinct Portuguese charm (I loved how they used the typical Porturguese-style blue and white tiles in the bathroom.) There’s a mini coffee machine with pods, air conditioning and of course, great wifi. Our room also had gorgeous views! We were situated on the corner of the building with two balconies, allowing us to have views of both the side street and the Flower Square (Praça das Flores).
- This property is very central, just 800m from Bairro Alto and 1.5km from Chiado. Since the route to Chiado is mostly downhill, we walked there each time we went and Ubered back because we were tired after sightseeing.
- The owner/our host, Nuno, as well as the staff, were really helpful with everything we needed. Naturally there isn’t a 24 hour front desk, but they’re available in the reception office close-by for the majority of the day and early evening to help you concierge-style. Everyone spoke perfect English.
- The breakfast basket they hang outside your door every morning was adorable and everything in it was delicious! If like me, you usually look forward to a hotel buffet spread, don’t underestimate the goodness that arrives in this basket. It comes with freshly-baked rolls in a bread of your choice, cheeses, butter, fruit, milk, coffee pods, freshly-squeezed juice and a different “surprise” each day. In our first basket, the surprise was pasteis de nata (traditional Portuguese pastry that’s similar to a custard tart) and the next day we were given croissants.
- On the topic of food, if you’re halal-eating like we are, there was a divine kebab place in the next road that was both delicious and super affordable, as well as an Indian restaurant directly opposite our front door. Then another road away, you can find one of the best artisan gelato places in the whole of Lisbon. I can’t remember its name, but whenever the locals heard where we were staying, they quickly made reference to how amazing the ice cream there is (and we can confirm they’re right!).
- When it comes to transport, Lisbon is known for being the City of the 7 Hills so don’t be surprised with how many slopes you’re inevitably required to walk. Luckily, the guest house has its own tuk-tuk, and Ubers are cheap, as are the trams and metro. You can’t go to Lisbon and not take a tram at some point!
- Flores Guest House has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor, and you can read other people’s reviews here.
- There’s a communal kitchenette where you can make use of their fridge and microwave, and it’s extremely clean. In our building there was also a mini rooftop garden with tables and chairs – perfect for downing the contents of that breakfast basket before starting your day, and awesome for putting your feet up while the sun sets at around 9:30pm.
- The area the guest house is in as well as the property itself is super instagrammable. Scroll down to the bottom for an image Malick took of me right outside the guest house reception after we checked out! It looks very casual euro-glam, but really, I was just sitting there because I was tired after a super long day.
If you’re interested in booking with Flores Guest House, check out their website here, or email welcome@floresguesthouse.com to make an inquiry. If you want a video tour of the room, check out our Portugal vlog here, it’s at the very start of the video.
xx
All images shot by Abdul Malick Ally