The apartment is close walking distance to restaurants, the plaza and nightlife. BUT, this apartment is directly above busy nightclubs and restaurants. Do not underestimate this fact. The streets are crowded with loud party goers until the early morning hours, 7 days a week. The street is also undergoing massive construction, and loud noise starts early in the morning and goes until evening. If you prefer quiet, or enjoy sleep, just reconsider staying in Bairro Alto all together.
The apartment itself was quaint, clean, and decorated very cutely, but it is much smaller than it appears in pictures. It is a 500 year old building, with some questionable smells throughout the flat. Bad sewer, amongst other strong chemical smells which was noticeably unpleasant.
Lastly, we encountered numerous people selling drugs on the street below. Normally I wouldn’t share publicly because I realize it’s not the host’s fault, but I think solo-female travelers should be made aware. If I wasn’t with my boyfriend, I would not have felt very safe walking about the streets where this apartment is located by myself.