HI Tavira – Pousada de Juventude

I had a very uncomfortable experience at Hi Tavira Hostel and would not recommend it, especially for solo female travelers. I arrived feeling uneasy due to the recent bad reviews, and unfortunately, they were accurate. Upon entering the hostel, I was immediately put off by the atmosphere. The common areas were dirty, with beds and sofas that didn’t seem clean. There were older people staying in the hostel, which gave off an odd vibe that didn’t feel welcoming or safe. When I got to my room, there was an older woman already sleeping at 7 PM. She seemed strange, and the situation made me feel unsafe. I quickly decided to leave and find different accommodations. This place is not suited for young or solo travelers looking for a comfortable and secure environment. I strongly recommend booking elsewhere if you want to enjoy your vacation.

So. I’m a 57 yo Brit and I wanted a cheap holiday…this is where I ended up. I’m willing to try anything. I was allocated to stay in a dorm of 4 women…no idea if somehow it was instigated but I ended up sharing a room with 2 young Brits which made it do much easier. It was fabulous, the breakfast that’s included is all you need….bread, cheese, ham, tomato and cucumber. Muesli, juice, coffee and yoghurt. The place is incredibly clean. When I arrived at my ‘dorm’ there was a bathroom allocated to it. Basically, there are two dorms and one bathroom that the two dorms share. There were two showers and two toilets that had to be shared between 8 people. This really wasn’t an issue. I was up at 7.30 am. No one else was in there. I showered in peace. The showers however, are a challenge! There’s a button that you push to turn the shower on…it lasts about 5 seconds. Literally! You have to keep pushing it and the water, as it comes out, initially, is freezing! I stood as far away from it as possible while I was pushing the button until it warmed up!! Is it somewhere I’d stay again? Probably not, but that is absolutely nothing to do with the hostel, that’s simply because I’ve covered everything in the area that I wanted to cover.

Very nice government owned place with friendly and profession staff, good prices and clean facilities. Staff is more than happy to help or explain anything and a mediocre but servicable breakfast is included.

Room was amazing, the beds were comfortable, shower was cold at first, but the worker gave us another room right away, she was so helpful, and so were the other workers. The location is so good, a quick walk to the train station, and the town, so worth it!! I would 100% recommend couldn’t need anything else, especially for the great price! Also breakfast was included even though we paid so little for it.

Staff were very nice and friendly but the fact is that this is clearly an asylum centre and not a cool fun hostel for young traveler’s, the common room had 3 elderly men laying down with a sofa each to themselves on their phones and the smell was unpleasant, our beds were bow shaped and a look under the mattress showed that they needed replacing a decade ago. unfortunately the price didn’t not reflect the experience at €50 per night. Also the key needed several attempts before opening. I hate having to write reviews like this but the owner of this place needs a serious wake up call.

Booked a private room for our family with a shared bathroom. No one else was ever in the bathroom when we were. AC worked very well in our room. Bunk beds felt old and not super comfortable and crinkled. Breakfast was decent. Great location and we found free street parking. There was no elevator. Staff was friendly and gave us towels as none were provided.

Room is ok, bed is a little off, and the locker has no key to lock. Bathroom has some funky smells, perhaps the air circulation or need air freshener . Location is not bad, just that if you are driving, it's very difficult to find a parking, as the street is narrow and you got to park somewhere else.

Very Friendly Staff, I stayed in the 4-bunk bed room. Overall it's spacious, renovated, with AC, there is a storage space but no lock system. There is a kitchen you can use too cook all sorts of meals, there are pots, pans, plats, cutlery. Breakfast included from 8-10:30, everything is good except the quality of the coffee. The male bathroom only had a shower available the other one was under maintenance. I think you can't find a better quality/price ratio in Tavira.