When traveling abroad, the people that you meet and the places where you stay can make a lot of difference. We were fortunate to have a great apartment and hospitable host in Lisbon. Our apartment in Lisbon was perfect.

To make things easy, Carlos arranged to meet us at a landmark near the building, across from the Santa Alponia train station. When we met Carlos and his family, they helped us with our luggage and we looked around the area.

Cobblestone streets dating back hundreds of years, hills and trams reminiscent of San Francisco, ours was the only area of the city not demolished by the earthquake of 1755. Thus there was a medieval look and feel to the place, despite the cars, trams, and train station. Old buildings mixed in with newer ones—the newer ones being themselves a few hundred years old.

The building Carolos led us to, and that was to become home during our stay, was a historic gem. Right on the square next to the Santa Apolonia train station and overlooking the water, beyond the square.

The interior of the second floor apartment was as modern and new as the outside was historic and old. Spacious and fresh, the apartment boasted three bedrooms that can sleep six, an additional office, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom, as well as the European-style entrance hallway. The beds were decoratively made, fresh towels were provided, and so were all the dishes, utensils, pots, and pans we could need.

Three window balconies overlooked two views: two overlooking the square and the water, the third looking out to the sloped side street. From each window, the armed lady adorning the nearby National Military Museum watched over us.

Carlos and his family left us a bottle of his family’s homemade port wine, some local oranges, and enough fresh Portuguese coffee to get us through our stay. With a grocery store and several convenient stores just a couple minutes’ walk away, we were able to breakfast each morning at the apartment before venturing out for the day. The nice, clean apartment was always a pleasure to come back to after a long day of exploring.

Just as pleasing as the apartment was Carlos and his family, always a phone call or text message away. Better, his family’s store was just a few minutes up the hill and around the corner, so we could stop in when we had questions or needed to buy public transportation cards or refuel them. On several occasions, we even enjoyed sitting with Carlos in neighborhood cafes near the store and apartment, over beer, green wine, or port.

Next time we’re in Lisbon, we’ll be sure to let Carlos know. We highly recommend you do the same.