The Host…To begin our 1-month stay in Lisbon…Isabelle, our host, personally greeted us despite it being 1:30am. Our flight was both late and TAP airline lost our luggage. She had monitored our flight and knew it was late, but not that late. Complicating matters, we were unable initially to get WiFi to send a message from deep within the bowels of the Lost Luggage Dept, so we could not update her. We were thinking to check ourselves into a hotel near the airport. However, once out of the Lost Luggage, we were able to contact her and she told us to come to her apt. The airport is centrally located, so we were less than 15 min away by inexpensive taxi (12 euros). So, by 2am Isabelle had met us, checked us in, and we were sleeping in her comfortable and well-furnished, recently renovated apt located in the historic neighborhood of Santa Catarina.

Next to Chiado, the apt is perfectly located to two of the most important neighborhoods of Lisbon. The apt, itself, is in an historic building constructed in Pombaline style architecture after the 1855 earthquake. In this neighborhood, the buildings are quite narrow and have one apt per floor, adding to a sense of privacy. The apt has a small balcony that gives a full view of the cable-cars and the active street life. If you take this apt, you’ll be in the middle of a Lisbon postcard. You wont regret it no matter what your specific interests are.

Isabelle is a very kind and thoughtful host. She’s a great communicator, speaking French and English and full of good advice and tips about a city that she loves. We enjoyed the apt and all of the amenities. We love to cook and the modern kitchen allowed us to have a good balance between the many inexpensive restaurants nearby (Zapata is 1 block away with authentic Portuguese cuisine) and our home-cooked meals using fresh local produce, fish and meats. Isabelle sent a cleaner in the middle of our stay to clean the apt and change linen. Recycling and refuse is just outside the front door in the alley.

The street in front of the apt is filled with small shops that include fruits & vegetables, bakeries and pastry shops, restaurants, and you can walk two blocks to get to the grocery store. Even better, the cable car and the taxis stop immediately at the door as if built for that apt. The street is busy and lively and the long lines outside the Mill Restaurant (rated best breakfast in Lisbon) will keep you entertained watching from the apt balcony all morning past lunch time. The antique cable-car alone is worth the apt, arriving frequently through the day and only feet from the apt. It will take you to the central shopping and other neighborhoods just 5 minutes away by cable-car or a 10-15 minute walk. There is no street parking close to the apt, realistically speaking. So, if you have a car, you’ll need to find paid, off-street parking; otherwise, choose a less central area. We highly recommend the host and the apartment and we look forward to returning to Lisboa soon and staying with Isabelle.