There was a lot of noise with the dog's house barking a lot. There was no hot water at All .The room missed a warmer, something to hang the coats and of course plugs, only one is too few nowadays.

The room was huge and clean with a big pool

Stayed in March 2025

The place is practically run by volunteers ( saves the owner money...), so even though some are betters than others, they are young and lack experience in cleaning and managing the place properly. As usual in many hostels in Portugal at the low season time, there are people living there long term, which in my view makes the atmosphere a bit less laid back.

Shops and beach nearby, most of the volunteers/workers, spacious place.

Stayed in October 2024

Replace mattresses with more comfortable and modern ones. It would be great to add outlets or extension cords to the outside table and pool tables.

Great location (beach, train not far away). Friendly staff. It was clean (but the hostel load was not full). Everything that was promised corresponded to reality.

Stayed in October 2024

not sockets by the bed spaces, only 2 toilets for all of the rooms and they were not kept clean/with toilet paper in them, towels vey smelly, staff very unsure of what they were doing

nice pool and common area, great location, close to the beach

Stayed in September 2024

In finding something to improve upon, the drains in both the shower and tub did not work great after the first night, which left standing water. I did share this with an employee, and I am positive they will have it fixed soon. Otherwise, this is a great place to book your stay and well worth the money.

Carcavelos Surf Hostel is an excellent place to stay! It is in a great location: a short walk to the beach, grocery, cafes, and 10-minutes to the metro. Everyone working there made my son (17) and I feel welcome, including the owner, Jose. We have stayed in many hostels across multiple countries and CSH is very safe, affordable, and well maintained.

Stayed in May 2024

Pool could be better maintenaned

Our host was Carlos and the way how he show us a hostel and treated, got impression he the truly lives in and for a spot Other volunteers were also charming

Stayed in September 2023

Bed was wobbly as and large room with snores often in the mix. Bathrooms felt dirty and a but smelly.

A really nice friendly vibe, mostly run my volunteers so guess it depends on who's there. A pool! Short walk to great beach and supermarket. Multiple nice hangout spaces inside and outside and they offer yoga and and workout things free.

Stayed in September 2023

There was a situation with a guest who was a bit mentally unstable, and the hostel staff did not handle it all that well. They are mostly volunteers and they were off duty that late at night, and yet, I think they made it worse than it could have been. The owner did give my roommates some refund for such an unpleasant night, which was nice of him. Just mind, that in the case of weird guests the volunteers and young staff would not be able to do much and you gotta call the owner (or the police) directly.

A nice chill place. Quite cheap since it's in between Lisbon and quite expensive Cascais and yet, pretty close to train station which makes it easily accessible. It's about 5 min walk from the beach and to a big shopping mall.

Stayed in July 2023

i had to pay extra 15€ for arriving a bit after 10pm, although the guy was awake anyway, and although it was due to flight delays. bathrooms were not too comfortable or clean. bunk bed was a bit flimsy and squicky, and the little personal shelf was metallic and noisy. no personal light nor socket nor curtain for the upper bunk.

it has a nice common area, which can create a bit of atmosphere, depending on who's there. there are large lockers, albeit a bit thin. location is great. a walk from the beach, supermarket and restaurants.

Stayed in August 2023

the beds and bed linen is already quite overused and the walls next to the bunker beds are a bit dirty

the location is great, the house is beautiful, staff is very friendly.

Stayed in April 2023

Very nice reception. Atmosphere was really good.

Stayed in June 2023

At check in, I was met by Maria, a friendly staff member. She showed me around, and gave me a bed to my liking. I was surprised on how clean the place was. The owner Jose could show up some mornings and give some trip ideas. The hospitality of the staff members is worth mentioning. Roger, Alice, Vera and Yres were all friendly, helpful and kept the house in shape. The place had a friendly dog, Chico, which was quite unique. All in all, the team I met was great and kept the place running.

Stayed in June 2023

Bathrooms and cleanliness. The sink had water all over it and the shower was broken.

Nice location. Great staff

Stayed in May 2023

Everything ok, but we missed towells and shower gel and double bed quite small for 2 people 😊

Stayed in April 2023

Great location right by the beach. Very friendly and helpful staff.

Stayed in November 2022

The bathrooms were falling apart! Not comfortable at all! Bathtub couldn't be used, no where to hang towel or clothing. Property should be better maintained.

Staff fantastic and very kind and helpful!

Stayed in September 2022

I rented the Private room in the Hostel. It's not specific if there is a private bathroom but I can say there is NOT a private bathroom for just the private room. You have to share the three in the property with everyone else. Sadly the showers are built into each bathroom so you may be waiting a while for one to become available.

The Hostel was quite close to the beach but not so on top of it as to be too noisy from external influences. It was a 5 minute walk to the local central shopping area and restaurants. Carcavelos itself is on the main line railway to Lisbon and CaisCais so it is pretty accessible. The rooms were clean without being cleanly and could have had a little bit of updating. My private room was very large considering. Ultimately it is still a Hostel and you should manage your expectations accordingly. The staff were very young, friendly and competent.

Stayed in September 2022

Very well located hostel for either beach days or to get into the city of Lisbon. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Stayed in September 2022

too many families 😅

very near the beach & right next to the surf school. the staff members where fantastic - very friendly and took me out to Lisbon. Everyone in the hostel was friendly !!

Stayed in August 2022

Absolutely horrible hostel. The bathrooms smelled like urine and sewers, the pillows and sheets were stained, and the garden and furniture inside the hotel were in a decayed state. Sometimes, the showers had no hot water (only cold with very low pressure). They were even airing out mattresses, pillows, and sheets on the grass of the garden, which was disgusting. I had to sleep on top of the sheets because they were so dirty. Quiet hours were supposed to start at 9 pm, but people were drinking and making noise until midnight. The refrigerator was broken and barely cooled anything. The photos online are at least 4 years old and completely misleading, the place is now in decay. The staff was usy very unfriendly. The whole atmosphere was awful, with everyone staying there seeming to be in a bad mood, making it feel dense and unpleasant, probably because the hostel is so horrible. Overall, a nightmare stay.

The new guy at the reception, he was really nice

Stayed in August 2025

The mattrass,ot was comfy but I could feel the springs inside a bit, did keep me awake though:-)

Loved the building, open spaces, the vibe and of course the pool. Great staff bte

Stayed in July 2025

We had to walk pretty far to wash our clothes at a laundromat and we wish that the beds had better privacy curtains. The ones they had were not covering the entire bed. Kind of weird being in a place where strangers can watch you sleep.

We enjoyed the location (close to the beach and pretty close to a big supermarket), the garden and pool was fantastic. Nice to have a kitchen to prepare food. Upon arrival we discovered a problem, talked to staff about it and they were quick to contact their boss and get it fixed. We were very satisfied with their response. The staff was very polite and helpful. They also helped us with finding surf instructors.

Stayed in May 2025

It wasn’t very clean. The photos are very misleading. It does not look like that in real life.

The location is great. Pool is usable. Very cheap.

Stayed in March 2025

Unbiased review: - The pictures are 12+ years old and *do not* reflect the state it is in now. - The bathrooms often smell of urine partly due to the amount of people staying there - Your possessions can get stolen if you aren't very careful - The bed linen is extremely old. Stains, torn, buttons coming off - Some people don't respect the quiet time after 10pm

Unbiased review: - The location is great - The staff are helpful - The things you need do work (shower, toilet etc)

Stayed in October 2024