I spent a fantastic month at Ricardo’s apartment. The flat is just as lovely and artistic as the pictures, comfortable and convenient. Given the chance, I would stay again in a heartbeat.
The apartment is located right at the center of Rato, across from the metro station, buses and the newly renovated Line 24 historic yellow tram car. A host of restaurants, cafes and shops are nearby and there is a supermarket a 3 minute walk away.
The kitchen is adorable and set up for small cooking projects. The washer and line drying space makes traveling for an extended period much more convenient. There’s vases to put flowers you buy from the florist shop downstairs, and many toiletries in the bathroom.
I was concerned about heat in the summer, but the apartment gets a lovely cross breeze when you open the front and back windows. The locals can get a bit exuberant at birthday parties at the restaurants in the evenings, but you can either walk downstairs to join them or turn on the fan for white noise.
Ricardo was an extremely responsive host and answered any questions and requests I had very promptly. He had lots of great suggestions for dining and activities, and even even invited me to join him and his family out for caracóis (seafood) one evening. His art collection decorated the walls of the apartment and provided plenty of fodder for conversation.
Staying in this apartment was one of the highlights of my Lisbon experience and I am so sad to leave, but I am happy that my leaving means more people will get have this experience, too :)