We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Joao’s apartment. It was spacious, clean and nicely located. Our flight was arriving very late and Joao was there to greet us and give us the lay of the land. This was crucial for us since we are a family of 5 w/ young children and played a big part in our decision to choose his place over others. It was really nice to have an Airbnb place that didn’t have only 4 plates, bowls, dining chairs etc. Joao’s had 10-12 place settings and 5 chairs in the dining area which made things so much easier. Complete cooking items including cooking oil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, etc. He even provided laundry soap! It was totally move in and live in ready. Didn’t have to rush out to buy supplies to get through your day.

There’s a decent grocery down the street by the square (hours are 9-9pm) but they didn’t have refrigerated drinks…. There’s a small mom and pop grocery around the corner that does have cold drinks and sells individual bottles of beer and other beverages. Lots of small local restaurants nearby (make a reservation at Adega Dom Luis one street down. Awesome food and service! You won’t regret it.) Metro is a brisk 10 minute walk (or a 15 min stroll), bus stop is even closer. Trolley/tram stop is also close (you may want to take it to the start of the tram versus heading into the city center if you want to grab a seat and have a view).

Some other basic tips that we came upon (or learned the hard way). The metro doesn’t take credit cards (just debit cards). Each person needs a card. You can’t load multiple person 24 hour metro passes onto one card. If you’re heading to the beach, the 24 hour metro card doesn’t include the train to the beach. The ticket kiosk and booth at the first stop of the train station heading for the beaches can get JAM PACKED. Took over 45 minutes for us to get tickets since (well, it was a Satuday, too) the kiosks issue one ticket a time only and most getting tickets were non-residents (i.e. it was confusing figuring out the kiosk thing not to mention everyone was trying to use credit cards not knowing there was only a single machine that would accept cc).

Overall, after traveling around the world for almost two months, staying at Joao’s homey place was a welcome retreat from the sterile hotel environments. Great local neighborhood, easy access to food and transportation… it was an excellent stay all around.