Deciding to move from my noisy hostel to spend a week in Samantha & Nuno's apartment was one of the best decisions I made during my trip in Lisboa. I had the opportunity to be their first AirBnB guest, to my surprise because they were both such excellent hosts. They live a block from the best fado in city, in the famed winding streets of Alfama, where some of the cheapest cafes and tascas serve traditional home cooking. At the same time, you're only a short walk from the Santa Apolonia station and metro, and also from the Castelo San Jorge, the Sé, Fado Museum, and the affordable arts and craft shops in Alfama. You can also walk to Baixa-Chiado in less than 30mins if you want a scenic walk. The apartment is small, but their hearts are very warm. They were willing to give up their bed for me, but they also have a fold-out couch and mattress where I was very comfortable. Samantha is very tidy and well-organized, as well as fluent in English, French, Italian, and she can give you excellent suggestions and directions. Samantha and Nuno's generous spirits are well known to their friends, who visit often to bbq, sing and drink sangria. Their friends made me feel more than welcome, and as a bonus, I began to learn some Portuguese. During my time in Lisboa I was attending a writing program, and this had some advantages as it gave some structure to my stay, and my hosts had the apartment to themselves for part of the day to clean and organize, and I was able to do some work in the quiet apartment when they spent the evening out. The only drawback was lack of wifi for the first few days, but Samantha is working this out and has a 3G USB stick for medium-speed internet, and there's also the local library a few blocks away. I feel sure the always resourceful Samantha will find a solution. You'll meet the real Lisboa in their home! I can't wait to visit them again. Avoid the impersonality of a big hostel, and make some new friends instead.