The apartment is probably one of my favourite Airbnb's that I have stayed in. It is located in arguably one the most interesting and beautiful parts of Lisbon and is close to many great places of interest and fantastic places to eat and drink. The harbour is only a 5 minute walk and the place just has an incredible vibe about it. Fado music can be heard from the apartment in the evenings when the windows are open!
The apartment itself is quirky but special. If you have mobility issues, it's not going to be suitable. Even the stairs that go from the street up to the third floor where the apartment is are uneven and steep, plus there is no working light in the stairwell so it's hard to see, especially once night falls. The bedroom is situated on a mezzanine up some extremely narrow stairs and you have to duck when walking from the stairs to the bedroom. Not a problem if fit and flexible but I can't imagine many pensioners being able to do it unless they've been going to yoga classes. However, one would be able to sleep on the sofa as I believe it pulled out into a sofa bed.
The apartment is light and feels like a fairy good size, especially for 2 people. Great living room and kitchen which also has a dining table in it. The toilet and shower room was ok and the shower was particularly nice. However, the reason I booked the place was because of the roof terrace. This is off the bedroom on the mezzanine level so again, might be not be accessible for less abled people. The terrace is small but fantastic with great views towards the sea and surrounding neighbourhood. Such a delightful place to eat breakfast/lunch or just have a beer in the evening and listen to Lisbon below you.
Pedro gave us some good tips of places to eat and to buy nice pastries. We had fun trying them out and exploring other places. Beer is expensive in this area. Expect to pay 5 euros for a beer. If you walk out of Alfama, expect to pay more like 4 euros. Food is affordable and delicious. Tapas is a must whilst you are there.
Things I loved were the extremely comfortable double bed, the well equipped kitchen, the inviting dining room, (with Netflix!) and comfy sofa, the views from the terrace and the location.
Things that were not so good were the general lack of TLC. A big stain on the sofa, the door handles on the roof terrace door and living room doors were loose to the point I was worried they were going to fall off. (Previous reviews have mentioned this so I am surprised it hasn't been sorted). The door to the bathroom didn't shut all the way and the cupboard door in the dressing room wouldn't open due to the uneven floor. (5 minutes with a wood plane would fix both of those issues). The fridge was a lovely size and clean. However, the freezer was unusable. It has obviously not been defrosted in a long time so I couldn't even open the drawers to put anything in it. The electrics in the kitchen weren't good. Whenever the boiler turned on, (turning on a hot tap), the light on the cooker hood would turn itself off. There was no fire extinguisher in the property anywhere. Finally, I think a late check once you get to 20.00 is way too early. I have checked in after 23.00 in several other Airbnb's and had no penalties. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half so we had to pay the 25 euros fee. My fault for not booking an earlier flight or just dismissing the property straight away when I saw the late check in was actually not particularly late. Be aware of this fact as it doesn't get your holiday off to a great start.
All in all it was a lovely holiday and a superb apartment which added to the "cool" vibe that Lisbon has. If you like music and art then Lisbon and particularly Alfama will be the perfect destination for you.