My friend and I had a wonderful stay at Joao's apartment, located in a central location in Lisbon. Joao was away, but had his cousin Ines help us. To note - Joao and Ines speek perfect English. Joao was instantly accessible too (for coordination purposes over messaging), but Ines was more than enough assistance; she accommodated every need/question/request my friend and I had and always enthusiastically welcomed communication. This set the tone for a wonderful week with absolutely zero worries.

As for the apartment itself - it is outstanding. There are multiple windows you can open to see the bustling city of Lisbon as well as a picturesque view of the Tagus river. It gave me goosebumps. Also, for every window in the apartment, there are window shades as well as doors to block out light (and sound - although its not very loud). The wifi was FAST! 10 times faster than our Madrid and Amsterdam Airbnb. They have a chromecast too - you can easily watch things like you tube and other apps on the television through your smart phone/tablet/or computer. Or you can enjoy some Portuguese television!

Among many other things, there is a restaurant/bakery/coffee shop right next door and a traditional Portuguese restaurant you can see out a few of the windows. There is a large super market less than two minutes away and lots of other stores and shops as well.

A five minute (or less) walk will bring you to the train station or a metro line to take you anywhere in Lisbon. I recommend the beach pass - 12 euro for one week of unlimited travels (just for the train though, not metro). You can also hop on the old trolly system to take you to other amazing places as well (the ride was more fun than the destination! - you must do this!)

This is the perfect location for any Air BnB-er, but especially perfect for people who enjoy a vibrant night life. "Bairro Alto" and "Pink Street" (famous areas for night life in Lisbon), are within 15 minutes walking distance tops. PERFECT location if you want to be right near the action, but separated enough to get some sleep once in a while! If you want to stay even more local than that, there are plenty of bars even closer.

Having someone like Joao and Ines work with you to make sure your housing needs are met with no worries is absolutely invaluable when you want to spend the majority of your time immersed in the unbelievable Portuguese culture. With the help of Joao and Ines, we were able to fully experience and fall in love with Portugal - and specifically - the city of Lisbon.

Without a doubt we will return to Lisbon and will - most assuredly - book with Joao again. We couldn't imagine staying anywhere else. It's nice to know that when we return, we will be greeted by our new friends, Joao and Ines.