When we arrived at Ben & Sofia's flat we were not sure we had the right place having wound our way through narrow cobbled streets.

However once up the stairs and inside the Apartment saw exactly as it did in the photos. For a long weekend in Lisbon this was an ideal base, central to virtually everything but still with that feeling that you were a real part of the city.

For longer stays it should be noted that there is no real hanging space (unless we didn't find it), so be prepared to live in the most part out of suitcases.

We arrived in the middle of hot period (31 deg C), which although in itself was great meant that this loft apartment got quite warm. We countered this by opening the floor length windows on both sides of the apartment and the through breeze was most welcome!

The bathroom features a raindrop shower that was great and, like the rest of the Loft, incorporate modern style and decoration. the sink for example was a long tray into which water ran, looks great but may not be practical in everything situation (shaving for example).

The windows themselves are great, however if you are the type of person who crazes privacy then please note that there are no curtains and with the narrow streets this means that at times you can gaze direct into the face of your neighbours. This could have been a problem if we were prudish, luckily for us it was ok.

Local restaurants and Mercados are only a stone throw away and although we didn't believe it, it was also possible to be picked up by taxi from this location despite the narrow streets!

We unfortunately didn't get to meet Ben & Sofia, instead were met by a Concierge service who from the first to the last were available via email or phone to answer our questions and did so quickly and efficiently. Exactly what one hopes for.

In summary we had a fabulous time in Lisbon, felt being in the middle of things and Ben & Sofia's Loft retreat played a large part in the experience that we had.