First and foremost, this place is a great value in the heart of Lisbon’s old town. There are no tour busses, selfie sticks or Starbucks in this area. Alfama is probably 2/3 locals and 1/3 Airbnb guests. The area is full of character and personality and the people are wonderful. The buildings are colorful and traditional and the roads and sidewalks are cobblestone.
The good:
1. Great area to experience authentic Lisbon culture. Awesome view.
2. Excellent price.
3. Suite as advertised.
4. Ricardo was responsive and friendly.
5. Good water pressure.
6. Clean.
The notsogood:
1. As advertised, the bed basically fills the entire room. If you are traveling with a romantic partner, one will have to climb over the other to leave the room and use the washroom. With that said, it was relatively comfortable. Would be nice if there was one additional pillow (two small pillows only).
- side note for those who are new to Europe: beds in Europe are generall smaller (a king here is a queen in US/CA) and less comfortable. As someone who is 6’5”, it is a bit difficult to sleep.
2. Noise. Again, generally, whenever you get an authentic Airbnb in a European, you will hear every step, every word and every flush from the other suites. There was also music being played outside even around midnight on weeknights. There are also other Airbnb’s in the building and sometimes other tourists are loud. As a light sleeper, this can be frustrating. This is not a critique of Ricardo’s place, but could be an issue for us spoiled Canadians/Americans.
3. The stairs, omg the stairs. As other reviewers have pointed out, as is common in similar European Airbnb’s and as advertised, the stairs are steep, small and seriously difficult to climb up. If you have any mobility issues, this isn’t the place for you.
4. I did not see any soap or toiletries (can’t remember if this was advertised), but I had brought my own so no problem.
Side note: most restaurants here close from 3ish-7ish, which is not the norm for us in North America. Try out Cultura Portuguese Cafe down the road. Very affordable and nice place for breakfast.
Also, small tip: if you’re going to use the washing machine, it takes 3+ hours.