First and foremost I'd like to say that Monica was a very good host. I tend to avoid listings with no reviews but Monica had such good reviews and I was mesmerized by the terraces, so much so, that I disregarded my standards and booked anyway. Monica was friendly, hospitable and replied quickly to any questions I had both before and after renting this apartment. While we appreciate all that Monica attempted to do to remedy the issues we were having, there are definitely problems with this apartment.
On the plus side, the apartment is nicely renovated and clean. The kitchen was well equipped and nice to cook in. The bathroom was stylish and efficient. The location was perfect… close to town and on the ocean. Unfortunately some of the issues we had made our stay less than perfect.
To start, there are only 3 windows in the whole apartment therefore a complete lack of ventilation... the house felt stuffy and stale. The window in the master bedroom was small and right on the street, which is very noisy at night. The other two windows are on the opposite end of the apartment in the kitchen/living area and bathroom so there is no airflow unless you prop open the front door. There were no windows in the second bedroom and while there were only two of us, this could have been an issue had we needed that room. I will note that as soon as I pointed this issue out to Monica she did purchase a fan for us which was helpful and greatly appreciated. Fortunately we had unseasonably cool weather so it could have been worse! One way to alleviate some of these issues would be to install an a/c unit... while this may seem extravagant considering the climate and cost, it would address the airflow and noise issues as well as the next issue, the neighbors...
The selling feature of this listing is the ocean view terraces. The views are lovely however it’s important to note that there are at least 5, maybe more units just below this apartment not to mention several others overlooking the terraces. This was out 4th visit to Ericeira and while I wasn’t expecting solitude, I was expecting to be able to enjoy the outdoor space… that expectation was hampered when we were told upon check-in that there was “an issue with the neighbors”. This disclosure made us feel less than comfortable to spend time on the terrace and, because one of the issues was with the water draining, the terraces had not been cleaned properly. All that aside, the worst issue was with the downstairs neighbor. She would sit outside smoking cigarettes day and night, literally on the steps leading up to this apartment, and the smoke would come right up into the apartment. She also had a habit of watching loud videos on her phone until 2am.
While I realize most of these are issues are out of Monica’s control, they were an inconvenience to us and will also be to future guests. I feel bad having to write this review but I think it’s important for people to know in order to make an informed decision.