We had good expectations from the photos and description, but really came to appreciate the home once we arrived and lived in it for a few days. Without hesitation, I rated this a 5-star experience. The location turned out to be perfect — not in the middle of a crazy tourist scene but completely walkable to so much. We found secret restaurants on our block and realized we were right between three supermarkets, all walkable. Here’s a quick rundown of what we discovered during our 10-day stay:
Stand-Outs:
• Communication (speed, accuracy, clarity) was top-notch. Manuel was our contact, arranged our airport transportation, greeted us at the property and was our local resource throughout the trip. I can’t praise his input and responsiveness enough!
• Location was unexpectedly ideal. Yes, the home is about three blocks up a hill from Avenida da Liberdade (high-end shopping street), but we came to appreciate this for several reasons. 1) We could really walk just about everywhere we wanted to go in Chiado, Baixa, Príncipe Real and Bairro Alto. You can also walk to 2–3 supermarkets and convenience stores. 2) It is away from the hustle and bustle of the hotel and restaurant scene. 3) It forced us to explore a local neighborhood, which housed several restaurants and wine bars we would have never discovered otherwise. 4) Because you’re up on a hill, you have views from the patio. 5) After all we would eat in Portugal, the exercise did us some good, and I often opted to walk versus Uber even late at night.
• Value. I felt we paid a fair price for what we got.
FYI’s:
• There are two bathrooms and two showers, but the second shower (and entire bathroom, really) is tiny. My 13-year-old son actually started to use ours, instead. Definitely not a dealbreaker, as the bathroom is absolutely usable, but heads up if you’re traveling with a lot of adults and split the bathrooms.
• Water pressure in the bathrooms was sometimes low. It seemed that when you turned on another source of water, say hello to a cold shower.
• The layout is interesting and more practical than I expected. I realize the stairs may prohibit some from booking the place; however, there are only about six stairs to go down to the bathrooms and six stairs to go up to the main living space and patio. You enter on the middle floor, which contains the kitchen, bedrooms and small dining area.
• The street to the apartment is on a narrow one-way street. If you order an Uber, be standing outside ready for him/her. The street backs up quickly when taxi/Ubers pick up rides on the street.
• UberEATS delivers here. :)