Peter’s flat is a castle in the air. It's exactly the right place to be if you wanted to tap into the spirit of this marvellous city. We fell in love with the corner down the hill -- three cafes for morning coffee and fresh strawberry juice and pastries, three restaurants for cod and sardines, three tiny fruitshops…. A real community, and just ten steps from an international shopping street and just a cobblestone's throw from the nearest metro station.
The flat itself had everything we needed. For a busy city it was unbelievably quiet (double-glazed), the airconditioning was spot on, and the hosts were always prepared to go the extra mile -- anything we asked about (clothes washing, for example) would have them round directly to advise or assist, and they provided their own cute personal guidebook to help you find your way around the winding cobblestoned streets.
Like many castles, mind you, the stairs are stiff going, and if you’ve either got bad knees or are planning on coming home drunk every night you might have to look elsewhere – but that’s something that can be said about Lisbon as a whole, which is the least wheelchair-friendly city I’ve ever seen, with whole streets converting to scenic flights of steps without warning. Romantic, but taxing.
It was our first airbnb booking, and airbnb should give our Rita and Miguel a gold star for selling us on the concept. We loved every minute of it, booked extra days, and would unhesitatingly book it again if we were in town. Thanks for everything.