The good: first and foremost, Paulo is a great host. Very helpful, open to assist and responds quickly. After picking us up from the airport (4 suitcases and 2 backpacks, mind you!) he gave us a tour of the neighborhood, and his recommendations were spot on - from cafes to restaurants, as well as places to go in the city. Although it wasn’t our first visit to Lisboa, his advice was golden.
The apartment location is amazing - with open views to the river just across from the cruise ship terminal and refreshing sea breeze coming though the windows. Beautiful Alfama streets, great cafes & restaurants and lovely Lisboa vibe.
The (somewhat) challenging: Alfama is the oldest neighborhood in Lisboa, and with that come small apartments and older infrastructure. Climbing the (very steep) stairs to the apartment is no big deal for a young couple with backpacks, but the above mentioned cargo also needed to get up there - so please bear this in mind. That said, Paulo insisting on carrying some of the luggage himself, which was highly appreciated.
The other challenge is the internet situation. While we didn’t come to Lisboa to watch TV :), I do work remotely and internet connection is my lifeline. Paulo suggested a couple of workarounds to the very slow and sometimes unstable internet - but eventually I did need to work out of a few coffee shops during the time the internet was down.
All in all, highly recommended! Whenever a host goes out of his/her way to make sure their guests feel at home - that’s a sign of a keeper.