From the moment I booked Jorge’s place I knew I’d found a gem. Jorge was in touch several times before my arrival in Lisbon, offering directions, tips, etc. His cousin Manuel was there to welcome me when I arrived, and to help me carry my suitcase upstairs, as I’d sustained a knee injury a few days before.

The apartment is well laid out, impeccably maintained and equipped with practically everything you could possibly need, and finding bread, cheese, fruit and the fridge stocked with breakfast items was a wonderful extra touch. It’s conveniently located on a quiet street in a very pleasant part of central Lisbon, within easy distance of the very centre of the city either on foot or by tram (including the famous Tram 28), and also just a few blocks from the riverfront. The weather was still quite cool while I was in Lisbon, but even when it was 23 C outside the apartment was always several degrees cooler on the inside, even without the air conditioning on—likely to be a handy feature in the height of the summer.

When I asked Jorge for help calling a taxi on the day of my departure, he did even better: he called an Uber driver friend who arrived perfectly on time, came upstairs to take down my bags, and even offered to help me take my bags into the airport terminal.

After the excellent experience, I’d definitely consider booking one of Jorge’s apartments if I were to visit Lisbon again!