Ok...Absolutely LOVED staying here. For so many reasons, but primarily because Maria and John are simply terrific hosts. I definitely have high standards and can be hard to please, but this stay was fantastic from start to finish. Here's why:

1. John and Maria are wonderful people and extremely accommodating. They encouraged me to feel right at home as soon as I arrived, which I really needed after 2 weeks of crazy business travel and a few days of heavy sightseeing in Lisbon. I felt like I was going to be taken care of, versus just "crashing at an Airbnb" for a couple of days. It was much more than a place to stay. I felt completely welcome in their home, safe, and they were interactive and great to talk to but also respected my privacy completely.

2. They have a great home - it's very warm and has a nice layout. The bedrooms are nicely tucked away from the common spaces. One night, Maria had friends over for dinner and I did not hear a single peep (and they invited me to share the food and amazing margaritas they had prepared, to top it all off).

3. Estoril is perfect if you are looking for kick back and relax. Their home is a 10-minute (flat) walk to some gorgeous beaches. It was honestly like I could roll out of bed and right onto the beach. While I thought I would have preferred to stay in Cascais, I really liked that I was just outside of it and was in complete serenity. Getting to Cascais was a 5 euro cab ride.

4. John is an incredible chef (as other's have mentioned) and too kindly allowed me to eat some of the food he had prepared for Maria's dinner party. They should start charging for this because it is a HUGE perk of staying here, and so nice to have at your convenience when you just want to relax and don't have any desire to eat out or leave in the evening to grab dinner.

I cannot speak more highly of this place. My only regret is not booking for more than 2 nights. I would come back in a heartbeat and highly reccommend not only their Airbnb, but John and Maria as hosts!