We had originally booked Chiho and Nuno's place for June of 2020, but of course Covid made it impossible to come. They were super flexible and said we were welcome to change our arrival dates to basically whenever. More than a year later we were finally able to come and stayed one week at this lovely and central and sunny apartment. We are so glad we came! First of all, in terms of communication, Chiho and Nuno are absolutely the best! We had many email exchanges to settle on dates, and they always replied promptly, until we finally had the replacement date nailed down. A few days before we wanted to come (on July 3) there was another Covid variant scare which prompted Germany to put Portugal on the High Risk list necessitating quarantine upon arrival, and even though we wanted to return to Paris we were concerned France might follow suit, so I asked Chiho what we should do. She did a lot of research on her end, including contacting other people, and provided us with links. In the end we decided to come, but we came prepared with both our vaccine certificates and negative Covid test results, which was a good thing because I was actually stopped at the airport by an official who requested to see the test result (did not care about vaccine certificate. So if you come in the next few days or weeks bring both!). Also, Chiho offered to book us a van to meet us at the airport, and since we did not want to deal with figuring out taxis or public transportation we gladly agreed. The driver took us straight to the apartment where we were met by Nuno who showed us everything (and had a bottle of Portuguese red wine waiting for us, as well as ice cold water - a lovely touch!). And now to the apartment: It is in a cluster of several modern buildings right downtown, on a large square. It is the top floor (6th), and there are of course elevators. You overlook the square (Martim Moniz) and see the castle up on an hill. It has large windows with automatic blinds on 2 sides and a small balcony going all around (wide enough for 2 people sitting across from each other). It is modern, super clean, sleeps 4, and has literally everything you can think of: DeLonghi espresso maker (we went to the Nespresso store about 10 minutes away and got the real pods - which we think are better than want you buy in the supermarket), ironing board, extra trash bags, toolkit, washer/dryer, broom, extra towels, body wash, shampoo and conditioner in the shower... And the shower is nice with good water pressure, which is something we always appreciate. The list goes on. My family and I spent an amazing week in the apartment, exploring Lisbon and all its charms mostly on foot (bring good shows and get ready to climb many hills, but you will be rewarded with the most stunning views!). The first two (weekend) nights, restaurants were closed due to Covid so we had a picnic in the apartment. There are some grocery stores nearby, the best we found was Mercado Varn, about 5 minutes away, with wonderful fruit and vegetables and a great wine selection. The other nights we went to restaurants, researched by our daughter, and they were all lovely and compared to what we are used to from big cities a real bargain. Once we took a Bolt (Portuguese version of Uber) to a stunning beach (Praia de Saude), and once we took a train to Cascais and spent a few hours on Estoril beach. We slept well, ate well, drank well, and enjoyed the friendly Portuguese, many of whom speak very good English. The day before our departure Chiho was once again super helpful by doing research for us regarding Covid requirements (websites provided conflicting information). She found out that we should bring a filled-out and signed form for check-in, but no tests would be needed. Another driver came to pick us up and drop us off at the airport. It was easy and stress-free, as by the way was the check-in.
We can wholeheartedly recommend this apartment for your stay in Lisbon! It was absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Chiho and Nuno! We hope to return some day.