My partner and I stayed for 10 nights in Cisela's top-floor apartment.
What we liked the most:
Excellent communication from Ana (& Nuno) who help out Cisela - this includes excellent personalised check-in & explanation of everything in the apartment, and a couple of small issues also dealt with very quickly & professionally. For customer service 10 out of 10. For us customer service is crucial to our experience, and this is the best I have known in 6 years of using airbnb.
It is a very open property allowing in lots of natural light through the many windows - nice.
The terrace is very large with a couple of very comfy loungers & a hammock. Also there is a table & chairs where we ate breakfast & dinner most days with majestic views over Cascais & the sparkling blue sea.
The kitchen is one of the most complete I have seen in an airbnb property - kettle, toaster, microwave, big fridge freezer, superb electric cooking tops, utensils, crockery etc.
Excellent wifi signal even works on the terrace.
A nice spacious shower.
Really beautiful lounge with very comfy sofas/chairs and plenty of light.
A good strong entry door with locking in three areas.
The building in general is very quiet, no bad neighbours whatsoever
Fifteen minutes maximum walking to Cascais historic centre / 5 minutes to the motorway by car / 15 minutes by car to Guincho beach - a superb location. Any closer to the centre and you have noise, traffic & higher prices - Ciselas apartment is perfect in terms of situation.
Plenty of FREE parking in the street outside - yupiii. Go anywhere nearer the centre and parking will be very costly.
What we liked a little less:
We are "softies" and like very soft beds. The bed was initially a little hard for us. No problem we used our imagination and put the sofa bed mattresses on top of the main bed. We then slept very well.
The building itself on the outside is not so pretty, but ignore this, as soon as you step through the door, you will be very happy. And it's what's on the inside that really counts.
Is there anything we didn't like? No, overall it was a very positive experience, and the owner and friends seem like the nicest people, who are always very concerned for the well-being of their clients.
Thank you Cisela, Ana & Nuno, "brand" Portugal is in good hands.
Some more about the area & Cascais. On the road in to Cascais from the apartment (about 100 metres) is an excellent artesan bakery. Run by a really friendly lady who speaks better English than me. The bread is pricey, but it is incredible, almost a meal in itself.
In Cascais centre there are several indian restaurants, we have tried them all and recommend Massala. You can get a nice roast chicken in Jardim do Frango but the service is poor.
In all the touristy shops you CAN barter for a discount.
Be careful crossing at pedestrian crossings, many cars will not stop.
If you go to the "best" beach - Guincho, you can park on the southside all day for 2 euros, on the northside it is 6.
A few people here mentioned the walk "uphill" to return to the apartment. It is a gentle slope. If for health reasons etc you don't fancy it, get the M09 bus, or stop for a rest every few minutes and enjoy the valley vistas below you. But in reality most people will hardly notice it.
Cascais shopping, only 10 minutes in the car. A good choice of the weather is bad - plenty of cheap food, and a cinema with all movies in the original language (we watched The Courier) for 7 euros each. Loads of shops too, and a huge Continente hypermarket. Also Sintra is only 20 mins or so. Going to Lisbon for the day, get the train from Cascais, driving & parking will be stressful.
Take time to get off the main tourist streets in Cacsais and discover the tiny streets in the old town, they really are fascinating.