A hostel in Lisbon

Golden Residence is one of the hostels in Lisbon, located in the wonderful Baixa area

Lisbon, the largest and de facto capital of Portugal, is a city built on seven hills. Sure, it shares this distinction with about 39 other cities – Rome in Italy, Plovdiv in Bulgaria, and Bamberg in Germany most notable among them – but Lisbon is the only one who has the distinction of being designated as a European Capital of Culture (1994).

Lisbon is a fine balance of the old and the new with ancient architecture existing together with modern buildings, and in some cases, built atop one another, as is the case of the Baixa Pombalina after the destructive 1755 earthquake. With the Monsanto National Park, one of the largest in Europe, you can experience both the ancient human world with the ancient natural world.

And if you are a music aficionado, Lisbon is the place to rock. Lisboans groove to their fado - a music genre where past and present sorrow is sung with bitter sadness – as much as they rock and roll to Rock Rio. The latter is the world’s largest pop-rock music festival with big names in the international music industry like Metallica, Shakira, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing on stage to raucous applause and energetic dancing and singing.

If these do not make Lisbon a city of balance, then a “cool blonde” is on us. Or maybe a full meal at the tasca, should you prefer it.

At Lisbon, ennui is unheard of. With its variety of dining and wining establishments (tascas are highly recommended), upscale shopping stores, ancient castles and fortresses, museums and monasteries, parks and squares, cable cars and trams, you will find something new, something exciting to keep your blues away.

Check out the following districts:

• The oldest in Lisbon, the Alfama district is an enduring testament to the city’s resilience against earthquakes and tsunamis. You can gaze in awe at the Lisbon cathedral and the Castle of São Jorge in Alfama, and come away spiritually inspired and enchanted.

• Baixa is the heart of Lisbon, with monuments and squares aplenty that will leave you feeling like you have been transported in time. You can hop from one square to the next - Praça do Comércio, Rossio Square and Restauradores Square, to name a few – and experience Lisbon as a future UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• For the trendy set, the Chiado boasts of bookshops, galleries and cafes in addition to 18th century churches like the Chruch of Corpo Santo and the contemporary art museum of Museo do Chiado.

These districts are just the tip of the Lisbon cultural iceberg. You still have Bairro Alto, Estrela, Belém, and Gare de Oriente to visit, each one with its unique charm! And never forget that Lisboans love to party, eat, read, dress up, watch the movies, and parade - Lisboa Mágica, Jazz in August Festival, Lisbon Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, International Organ Festival of Lisbon, Moda Lisboa, and the Peixe em Lisboa satisfying such cravings for fun.

And while you are in Lisbon, you have to stay in a hostel befitting the charm of Lisbon. Also, visiting Lisbon can be pleasantly exhausting that you will want to come home to a Lisbon hostel that is just pure gem in Lisbon’s crown.

Luckily for you, there is the Golden Residence Hostel in the heart of Lisbon. It is a brand new hostel with modern amenities for reasonable prices, which can accommodate families and large groups anytime of the day.

The Golden Residence Hostel has seven dorms – four mixed dorms with 6 beds per room, two mixed dorms with 4 beds each, and one double room. If you decide on the double room, you have cable television to entertain you before hitting the sack. Large groups are easy here.

At the Golden Residence Hostel, you can check in anytime of the day and night because the reception area is manned on a 24/7 basis. No more ringing of the bell countless times waiting for staff to serve you; no more waiting in line to check in after an exhausting day of sightseeing. With very friendly staff, you are assured of efficient service delivered with a smile. As one happy customer commented, “the staff is very nice, and they help guests with everything they need during their stay at the Golden Residence.” And the staff is honest, with one guest happily reporting that her lost expensive diamond earring was returned to her!

If you decide to just stay in the Golden Residence Hostel, you have two common areas to be entertained in. With free access to cable television featuring English language channels for the language-handicapped, high-speed Internet for the Netizens, various enjoyable games, a small library of books and magazines, and the legendary Lisboan music, you have sufficient reasons to sit back, relax, put your feet up, and have cup after cup of Portuguese coffee. Or maybe ginginhas for the younger set.

After visiting the tascas, you might want to try your hand at cooking Lisboan cuisine like Bacalhau à Brás and Acorda. With the fully-equipped and modern kitchen at the Golden Residence Hostel, you can! Indeed, you can impress your friends with your cooking skills while saving money on restaurants.

Of course, traveling means dirty laundry. At the Golden Residence Hostel, your dirty laundry will not hang in public, so to speak. You can have your laundry done at a small extra cost, which definitely beats having to wash and dry them when you should be out gallivanting around Lisbon.

Since this is your vacation, the Golden Residence Hostel offers an on-call cleaning service to ensure that everything is in its place and there is a place for everything. No cleaning up after other guests in this hotel! One clean freak of a guest commented that the hostel had nice, clean rooms, while another praised the very clean kitchen. And we all know how clean kitchens reflect on the rest of the house, don’t we?

And the best thing yet about the Golden Residence Hostel? It is located in Baixa, the heart of Lisbon! You will discover that the magnificent Lisbon landscape can be viewed from the Golden Residence Hostel, which can help you take in Lisbon at a glance and plan where you most want to go sightseeing and shopping next.

Indeed, the Golden Residence Hostel more than lives up to its name. It has the heart of gold towards its guests. It is like your second home. It is the best hostel Lisbon can offer.

Boa vinda a Lisboa!

Portugal cities