We really enjoyed exploring Lisbon. The Alfama district is full of character (and hills) and it was so nice to stroll around the neighborhood. This apartment was beautiful and clean with a comfortable bed. There were unfortunately some things that were more form over function. For one, and the biggest issue, there is not enough ventilation in this unit. There are only two windows that face the street and everything else is room after room with the bathroom on the far end. There were no vents in the bathroom either. This made for a muggy and humid environment every time we showered. There is no where for the steam to go. After a couple days we noticed a mildew/mold type smell. All of our clothes felt damp and even our papers were moist. We tried to keep the windows open but as it is near the castle it can get fairly loud. This is a flaw in the design but can easily be fixed with a couple vents placed in the bedroom and bathroom. Also, there are no closing or locking doors in the unit itself. The door to the bathroom was a sliding door but it didn’t have any handles or inlets so when you were inside the bathroom it was very hard to pull the door closed on your own. As for the apartment building, we were lucky to not have anyone stay above us the first few nights but our last night a couple checked in and we could hear everything. Their foot steps were so loud we had to leave the apartment till bedtime. Lastly the WiFi. I expressed to Patrícia that it wasn’t working properly. She came by the next day to check on it and told me to try another network. This network was a little stronger but regardless the WiFi did not reach the bedroom. So each night when I wanted to check emails I had to sit in the living room. Not a big deal but the WiFi should be able to reach the bedroom.
Patrícia herself was fairly responsive to our requests. However she never made herself available personally or checked in with us. We never actually met her or spoke with her. All communication was done through the Airbnb messaging, which doesn’t always allow for quick turn around.
So yes the unit is beautifully designed with some nice touches. But due to the above problems I unfortunately won’t stay here again next time I come to Lisbon.