This is a high quality, very modern apartment with everything you will need for a stay in Lisbon. For anyone coming in cooler weather it is worth noting that it has central heating which is a real bonus. There is also a very nice courtyard garden just outside the Lounge which we were able to use on a couple of days. Security is excellent, with keypad entry.
The apartment is situated right in the heart of old Alfama, an area of picturesque streets and alleyways with great character. It is only a short walk from the Metro/rail station at Santa Apolónia and you will also find the stops for the famous “28 Tram” just 150 yards away. A great base for discovering Lisbon but please be aware that Alfama is basically one big hill with a castle on top. If you have mobility issues, probably not the place for you...
Alfama is full of small cafes and restaurants where you can eat or get a welcome drink. Salsa Alfama, just up the road on Rua do Escolas Gerais, was a particular favourite of ours. They do set menus for lunch and dinner (€7.90 and €9.90 respectively). The best value of all, however, is to be found at a small place called the “RC restaurant” opposite Santa Apolónia (located on Calcado do Fort). It’s really a small caff that does a fixed price menu....bread, huge main course, small dessert, coffee and a drink (carafe of wine or a large beer). SIX EUROS!
There are scores of small shops in Alfama (mini-merdados) but we shopped mainly at Pongo Doce, located in the Santa Apolónia station. Very inexpensive. Good quality wine is ridiculously cheap in Portugal.
If you are interested in museums you will find that many have “free entry” days on either Saturday or Sunday. If you want to discover places outside of the capital it is easy to get trains to places like Sintra or Cascais. Using the Metro in Lisbon is very stress free and cheap. If you are from the UK (or are English-speaking) tap the Union Jack symbol at the bottom of the screen and all of the instructions convert to English.
Our hosts were very nice and, because they also live close by, Filipa very kindly printed off our boarding passes when we realised that we would not be able to download them on to our iPad.
All in all, we would definitely recommend this place.