We loved staying at Rui’s, as much for the quality of the apartment as for the experience of meeting Rui. His apartment is very well situated. It is located in the Bairro Alto, so it is close to everything. First, a little a bit about the district in which this apartment is located. Personally, this part of the Lisbon is definitely my favorite, having spent a week walking around and exploring the city. While there are great restaurants, bars and close cultural attractions, Bairro Alto has kept a local feel to it, unlike the busy shopping streets of Baixa, Rossio, etc. There is something authentically Lisboète to it : artsy, creative, aesthetically pleasing, without being too artificially « hipster » or bourgeois. I might say the same thing about staying in Rui’s apartment. It is beautiful, as you can see in the photos, but what impressed me the most was the authenticity and uniqueness of the experience, which can also be attributed to Rui. As he explained to us, this was the home of the famous Eduardo Coelho, and, for me, it is a place where one has the sense of being immersed in history. You just have to look up at the beautiful murals on the ceilings or listen to Rui’s many historical anecdotes concerning the house in which the apartment is located to have this impression. I must also add that this apartment is very comfortable in the sense that it offers privacy. It is like a studio apartment without a private kitchen. There is a private bathroom, refrigerator in the room, Wifi, plates, boiler for coffee and tea, coffee mugs, silverware etc., in other words, all the amenities that you’d need for a comfortable stay. You also feel at home because Rui is very helpful and welcoming. If you need anything that is not in the room, he goes out of his way to provide it. I think that my favorite part of our stay in this apartment was in fact, meeting « Rui ». He is discreet and gives his guests their privacy, but is always willing to give helpful advice. He has traveled all over and has a sensibilty about what a fellow traveler visiting Lisbon needs to know. Born and raised in this house and having grown up Lisbon, Rui knows all of the secrets about Bairro Alto and other districts of Lisbon. He is, in fact, a very successful local artist (even if he is very modest about it). Rui embodies this authenticity that I referred to at the beginning of my review. He is a very unique and compassionate person with a lot to share. Rui even invited us to have a drink with him, one evening. He showed us around his work space, veranda, and the other rooms of his house. It was a magical experience because he told us all about the history of the house, the neighborhood and showed us first hand the beautiful artistic projects that he is working on. I admit this...