Maria and the staff were very kind, helpful and friendly. The room was large and clean, and the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was at the end of a long hall, though.

My room was on street level and it was unfortunately very noisy as a building across the narrow road was being demolished and the exterior of the Palacio was being painted while I was there. I was also concerned about keeping the windows open at night and while I was away as only one of the 3 had security bars across it.

As a woman traveling alone, I would be wary about staying here if I wanted to stay out after dark. The two city taxi's I took were not able to find this residence. (I spotted it the first night before the taxi driver did.)

The police, the metro staff, and the front desk staff at the Palacio suggested that I do not walk from the Martin Guedes metro station to the Palacio at night alone. Thus one night at about 10:00 pm, I decided to take a taxi from the subway station. Because the driver was unable to get me to my destination (he was driving around in circles and it was only meant to be a 7 minute walk away) I ended up getting out, asking a hospital security guard for directions, and walking home. I had to take a road that is absolutely deserted at night and I was chased up it by a young man all the way to the door of the Palacio. (I am glad I was wearing sensible shoes!: ) This was a very frightening experience.

I'm sure my experiences are not typical, but they did make my stay at the Palacio a stressful one.