The Santos family made us feel welcome right from the time we arrived. We bought a SIM card on arrival at the airport, called them, and they gave the taxi driver directions. They greeted us at the taxi. (The driver was reluctant to bring us up the hill and then overcharged us.) We were shown around the very well-equipped apartment and given some ideas of things to see and do during our six days in Lisbon.

We were traveling as a family of four with two young children, 18 months and 3 years old. We enjoyed having a fantastic kitchen to use. The apartment was ready for us, complete with a baby bath, high chair, and a crib. Everything was clean and beautifully arranged.

We had only three issues with the apartment, two of them due to the fact that it is an apartment in a historic building: noise (thin walls) and temperature (no built-in heating). Due to a recent cold snap that hit Lisbon and very rainy days, the apartment was uncomfortably chilly. (The Santos family had a portable radiator delivered within minutes of mentioning it on our second day in Lisbon. They were very concerned with making us more comfortable.) Having two young kids, we were quite conscious both of the noise we made and the noises we could hear (from the neighbors and the street), though I think this would not be much of an issue for guests without light-sleepers in their party. But if your children are young and cry, be aware that the walls are quite thin.

The third issue may be one that could keep us from returning to this house, despite our lovely hosts and the many things we liked about this apartment, the two larger beds in the house are quite hard, and one (a beautiful antique) is also noisy. Some people like hard beds so this wouldn't be a deterrant for them, but we didn't sleep well. If very hard beds aren't to your liking, you should look elsewhere.

Otherwise, we'd love to come back. We loved the aesthetics of the apartment, its location and convenience, and the friendliness of the owners. The neighborhood is beautiful with all the conveniences you will need. It was a perfect check-in and check-out -- friendly smiles and nice conversation on both ends of our stay in Portugal.