If you want a “host- free, hands off” experience - then this is the place to be.
We book Airbnb accommodation for two primary reasons:
1. We prefer the privacy and the extra space of a small apartment over a hotel
2. We look forward to getting first hand knowledge about the city from a local.
This Airbnb sadly missed the mark on the latter as well as missing the personal touches we’ve come to expect from Airbnb hosts.
Our experience:
On arrival we discovered that our roaming was not working. I therefore couldn’t access the “self check-in” instructions via the Airbnb app and we were stranded! We rang a doorbell for what we thought was the apartment (based on the information supplied) and regretfully disturbed a resident who was not too pleased. Being confronted by someone yelling very loudly (with a baseball bat in their hand) was not the most pleasant start to our stay. To be fair, they have probably had this happen before and were justified in their anger.
Fortunately the very friendly and helpful man who runs a nearby convenience store came to our rescue. We bought a local sim from him and he came back to the apartment block with us - to help translate if necessary. We called Lena several times to get check in instructions - but there was no answer. Finally, after logging in and out of the Airbnb app several times - the instructions appeared and we gained access. Perhaps there should be a backup system for “self”checkin. If the host chooses not to be present and the system (internet, website etc) fails there should be some way to ensure the guests can get in to the premises.
The apartment:
The apartment was clean and tidy although much smaller and with different decor than the photo depicts.
The positive points:
A. Good location
B. Some amenities such as washing liquid, cooking oil dishwashing detergent, a couple of coffee pads, sugar, salt (no pepper) and bathroom items are supplied.
C. Iron, ironing board, hairdryer (note - no place to plug it in near a mirror),coffee maker, toaster and kettle are available.
The negatives:
A. No instructions in English for the washer/dryer
B. The shower has no recess, shelf or something to hold soap and shampoo - so you have to keep everything on the floor
C. The shower gully is blocked and water drains slowly - so you stand in about 2 inches of water as you bathe and your soap floats around your feet.
D. The bedroom wardrobe doors cannot be opened all the way; the bed gets in the way. Awkward and annoying to use.
E. No information about where to take-out the rubbish or things regarding the use of the apartment.
F. It can be very noisy. Whilst inner city living comes with an expectation of some noise - the rubbish truck picks up around midnight and the noise from cars and motorbikes and voices in the street below can be quite loud.
G. In general it feels as if the apartment has been set up with the just the bare minimum. There are no personal touches or anything that leaves you feeling any care or consideration has been taken in its preparation (unless you count towels arranged in a fan on the bed). Even extra pillows come with a 20 Euro price tag!
The host:
A. No welcome contact at all. No call, no WhatsApp or Airbnb message, no note in the apartment. Lena didn’t even return the calls we made to her! The only time she got in touch was several days into our stay - when she told us she would be entering the apartment - for maintenance purposes.
B. We were told there would be technicians at the apartment between 1:30 and 3:00pm so arranged to be out during this time. We arrived back at 4:30 pm. Just after 5pm the doorbell rang and before I could answer it the tech and (I assume) someone from Lena’s staff barged through the front door - disturbing our rest. This is not only rude, it is unacceptable and could have been extremely embarrassing. In my opinion, routine maintenance should be carried out when the apartment is vacant as I should reasonably expect to occupy the property without disturbances.
B. Nothing (other than a couple of stray brochures) about the neighborhood or “things to do in Lisbon” was provided. Lena did offer a few tips via Airbnb message when I booked - but nothing substantial or personalized and with virtually no contact we were felt we were unable to ask for help or advice.
C. We finally found the WiFi password scribbled on the back of an instruction manual. (Note: this has since been fixed with the installation of a new WiFi service).
In conclusion:
We are hosts as well as travelers so I don’t think we have unrealistic expectations of what constitutes an enjoyable stay. I hope Lena and her team accept our constructive feedback in the manner it is intended - to help improve the experience for future guests.
I can highly recommend Lisbon as a great holiday destination, wonderful history, scenery, food and wine. Do visit!