EXCELLENT Alfama location!!! Owner Ellie, who we didn’t meet, was a very responsive communicator & made a sincere effort to answer our requests for various recommendations; her instructions re: the apartment, use of its facilities, arriving from the airport, etc etc were all well thought-out, thorough & clearly explained. Gosha — the property’s on-site manager (who we can’t thank enough!) — was extremely kind-hearted/helpful & did her utmost to make us feel as comfortable as possible. Overall, this not particularly spacious flat (call it “cozy”) — with its window-less bedroom & recently renovated bathroom — was “as described” & had all the essential equipment that we sought; everything was in fine working condition & the various little extra touches — like olive oil, coffee, washing liquid/detergent & the bottle of tasty gift wine awaiting us in the fridge(!) — were all well appreciated…’though I’m not sure how comfortable the living room’s modestly-sized fold-out couch would be for 2 non-intertwined adults to sleep on (since, rather than deal with the often annoying crack that such mattresses typically have when unfolded, we requested/received an additional one to put on the floor for our party’s 4th member).

UNFORTUNATELY, however, it rained our first night & the stove top filled up with a murky/coffee-colored watery fluid…which overflowed, creating a small puddle on the floor. This was explained as rainwater that somehow dripped down thru the stove’s exhaust-vent/chimney & was a problem that we were told had previously occurred during the wet winter. This leakage further exacerbated the already musty/mildewy smell that originally existed (although not as dramatically) when we entered the apartment for the very first time (upon arrival from the airport); it severely hampered our use of the kitchen area and made it generally rather unpleasant — perhaps even unhealthful? — to hang-out in the flat for more than what was necessary (ie-> sleep, shower & move on). To her credit, Ellie did voluntarily offer us compensation & we mutually agreed on a 33% refund (as in 3 nights for the price of 2)…which she recently said would be soon deposited into my bank account.

So, all in all, I’d describe our own personal encounter as a mixed bag…and am inclined to believe that we had an atypically problematic/bad-luck experience in an otherwise very well-situated accommodation that — barring the "leakage" problem described above — is apt to seem like a reasonably good deal & not disappoint its Alfama-minded patrons.