Overall, we really enjoyed staying in Maria’s apartment. I hope the below information helps other Airbnb users:
The Location:
The flat is located right in the centre of Barrio Alto, which is one of the most historic areas of Lisbon and a perfect base for tourists to explore the city from. Honestly, for a first time visitor the location couldn’t be better. There are the historic trams, as well as many great restaurants, nightlife and other attractions in the immediate area including Manteigaria (the best pastel de nata we found), Park Rooftop (trendy bar on top of a multi-storey car park), Time-out market Lisbon, Miradouro de Sao Pedro viewpoint, Cais do Sodre station (for the train to Belém and Cascais), and all major attractions are under a 30 minute walk.
The Building:
Maria’s apartment is located up three flights of quite steep stairs in a historic apartment block. This wasn’t a problem for us, but worth bearing in mind if you have mobility issues. We didn’t really bump into the neighbours but they seemed quiet and polite.
The Apartment:
We loved the layout and decoration of Maria’s apartment. It was full of character with items old and new, traditional and quirky, and the rooms have lovely historic bones. The bathroom is modern which is a nice touch and the bedroom spacious and living room spacious. The ceiling shower did not work so we had to use the handheld shower and the taps came loose during our stay, but we managed to fix this.
Fortunately, the apartment is at the back of the building which is quieter than the front where the noise of trams and the general bustle of the street are quite loud. That being said, on Friday or the weekend a background hum of noise from drinkers can be heard from the bedroom and lasts until the early hours. This woke us up on one occasion, but generally this did not bother us as we were tired enough from walking up and down the city’s many hills. You can occasionally hear footsteps from the flat above but this cannot be helped in historic buildings and in our opinion was a fine compromise for the character of the property.
The service:
Unfortunately, communication with Maria was slow, particularly when we had a problem with the taps in the bathroom and when asking for instructions for the check out. After hours of waiting for a response to messages sent on the Airbnb platform, making a call usually prompted a response, but sadly promptness and attention to guest concerns was below the standard I have come to expect from Airbnb. Speaking on a call with the host is not ideal as it does not provide a paper trail of evidence that can be rely upon in the event that you require a dispute to be mediated by Airbnb.
While the communication issues were at times frustrating, overall we enjoyed our stay in Maria’s apartment and would consider it again if we returned to Lisbon.