The Keep

Hotel

We have joined Duarte on a Sintra Tour. It has been our favorite tour in Portugal. Duarte is a wonderful host, very knowledgeable and friendly.
We have seen all the touristy places and most importantly all the local places that we wouldn’t have been able to visit ourselves. Definitely a MUST DO tour while in Lisbon. Thank you Duarte.

It's a beautiful view. That's it. The rooms were gross, the neighborhood was rough, the service from staff was hit-or-miss. It's very hostel-ish, so even if you're expecting the usual budget accommodation, it's a little disappointing. The climb up to this place through an unsavory neighborhood? Not great. If you're booking, just know you're really just paying for a nice view. Everything else was extremely low-effort.

Super View, but unfortunately dirty.

Only one socket in the room. The Room is very small, but it gives it a cosiness. I came together with a friend.
Breakfast was included In our service. Everything is delicious and varied. The Wifi is fast and stable.

Very inexpensive place but very dirty too! We stayed in room 12 and left covered in bed bugs bites. This place never gets a proper clean and it's very shabby. Needs decorating, cracks everywhere, dirty mouldy bathrooms, need I say more!? Would not recommend this place to anyone.

Good location and with a nice view but that's it!
Room in basement with no light and no view, humid, without heating, tiny windows.
Decrepit walls, very dilapidated bathroom not with electrical standards and a dubious cleanliness. Very poorly soundproofed staff little invested and from the go and comes a good part of the night.
What a pity!
March 2018

Beautiful building with breathtaking view of the city, but very humid room, no vmc, very old construction not maintained. The bathroom has the joints of the cracked tiles and the sheets were holed! The people at the reception are very helpful and pleasant. In short, comfort level, not terrible.

We Stayed at the Keep I februar 2018! It is a fine small old sleep place, the staff is very kind and they serve a fine breakfast. You walk up 227 steps to the hotel, with a fantastic view over the City. It is clean but long for some renovation. Try if you can find the elevator up there!

The hotel is located on a mountain ascent hill just below a foothill of the Castelo de São Jorge (castle). You can overlook the city and the harbour very extensively. Our room was purposefully furnished and for the clothes there was a kind of cloth tent with rod for storage.
The footpath up can be suitable for elderly people, but you can also let yourself be driven by taxi directly to the door of the hotel. For us, the footpath wasn't a problem either.
Breakfast was up to the Central European standard and I particularly tasted the fresh bread and the rolls very well. (Which is not always a matter of course in southern Europe)
The front desk staff is very friendly and speaks English very well. The recommendation for the restaurant/Bar "Botequim" was an unbeatable insider tip.
Only the aging bathroom I didn't like. You have to shower in a bathtub with shower curtain that no longer has the best condition.
Conclusion: Basically I was very satisfied with the hotel and the price of €100s' for 6 days was also unbeatably cheap. I am happy to come back!
Obrigado y encontrar novamente!

Just for the views! It's not very clean. Rooms with strong smell pipes.

Awful room, awful shared bathroom! Wi-Fi not working,, too many steps to arrive, absolutely horrible, nice views from the top.

The Keep is great! One of the best views in the city. Nice family operates it very responsively. Location is central in a quirky older neighborhood. Terraces are simple but lovely & comfortable. Room was clean & comfortable with its own sink & a feat breeze. Only 1 outlet though! Be prepared. Comes with breakfast — nearby cafes are a better bet.

Decient place for the price. Room was clean. Simple breakfast for free. Fyi no ac, didnt bother us but some people might care.

The Wi-Fi didn't work in my room, they couldn't fix this, that was incredibly frustrating. The showers/bathrooms were pretty terrible. Also, this place is not for people who don't like hiking and stairs. Luckily I don't mind either of those, but be warned: it's up a HUGE hill and then there are a lot of stairs when you get there. Good things about this place are the view from the terrace, and the included breakfast.

We stayed here as an overnight guest on a layover from Barcelona to NYC. From the airport, taking the metro, we walked the rest of the way. You need to walk up huge stairs and steep streets to get here on foot. Once we arrived, we walked up another spiral staircase. It's truly the feel of a royal keep. This hostel is right next to the historic castle, hence the name. I felt really connected with the history of the area and the view from the terrace above was breathtaking. Our room was nice and cozy and we had a continental breakfast in the morning. We saw the castle and got something to eat before heading back to the airport. This is a great area to stay for a 19 hour layover.

This hostel is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It is located near São Jorge Castle, so it offers the best view over Lisbon. It was constructed in 1958 what gives it a romantic look.

I went on a full day tour to Sintra with Duarte and it was my best day in Portugal. Not only did Duarte show us the all the best places to check out in Sintra, but he was always energetic and helpful throughout the whole trip. Duarte is also very knowledgeable about the history behind Sintra and could answer any questions that you had. His kindness and sincerity is partly what made the tour so amazing. If you're considering visiting Sintra, I would definitely recommend going with Keep it Local Tours!

Honestly the best tour guide in the whole wide world. I went on a Sintra tour with Duarte and it was well worth it! We ate local food and drove down his old neighborhood so it truly felt like we were a part of the culture. Duarte is the most energetic and enthusiastic person. I 100% recommend touring with keep it local!

Best, most fun, interactive tour-guide EVER. I am still friends with the other people that went on the tour that day, entirely and specifically because Duarte had us play games and get involved, creating an amazing day together. Great guy — you can't go wrong!

Note: this place is not for people who expect chocolates on the pillow and warm floors! But this place has more than character. Even tho we had moist in our room and a crack in the ceiling, we had a comfy bed. We paid 50e for a huge double room for two. There was an amazing view from our room over beautiful Lisbon. The staff is THE BEST! And so is the cat. The Keep is super close to Alfama, which is the magnificent medieval center of the city. Eating options are awesome from traditional Portuguese cuisine to vegan restaurants, which are in a walking distance. Public transportation is very close. Might be a little confusing to get there with a rental car, but if we made it, so will you. To this extent, The Keep is an amazing place for a little more experienced traveler and for budget couples who are not going to just spend time at the hostel. The Keep is also good for longer stay, even tho we were only for two days. We will most definitely return!

I went to the hostal, pretendian charge 60 eur for a stay of little more than a basement with a bed is bad, I don't know about the other rooms. The car did not arrive at the hotel, and parking near it is a chimera. That if, terrace of the hostel with spectacular views, located in old town.

Simple amenities, but helpful staff, and an amazing view, especially from the comfty tower room. It is about 40ft from the Castle of St. George.

This is a really interesting guest house … right near the city centre, peaceful and with a great view!

The staff is very friendly and tries to help in every possible way, and the views are very good. However, at "material" level, this hotel leaves much to be desired: ants in the room running around the bed, the material of the toilets is broken, the pillows of the bed are disposed within…

Super cool spot, great view of the city from the top of the tower!

Simply amenities, but helpful staff, and an amazing view, especially from the comfty tower room. It is about 40ft from the Castle of St. George.