So many things to say. I'll start with the good: Vera was nice and tried to accommodate us as much as possible. I gave 2 stars because the Host was cool and the apt was actually in Chiado as described, but there were so many other issues.
Now.... The apartment is not as large as it appears in the pictures, doesn't have a view of the Tagus river from the window, is full of items, so there's hardly any room to get comfortable in, the backroom does not have shelving, so I had to use the bed to sort my clothes, and the lighting is awful. If you intend to bring a child and/or work from the apt, it wasn't good. The backside of the apartment is really dark. I had to take the light from the living room and a light from the back bedroom to try and give me some normalcy of lighting, but even that wasn't always good.
Other folks stated in their reviews that they could hear neighbors but it wasn't bad. I differ! My child's sleeping cycle was completely disrupted because folks are making noise into the early morning hours. And once we actually fell asleep, someone was either arguing, snoring loudly, cell phone alarms going off 4 to 5 times, stumping and walking loudly, dropping things, etc. It was a nightmare that I'm so happy is over! The apt is situated between a ground floor and one more above. You will LITERALLY hear everything from the neighbors. The guy below abused his dog damn there every day and the dog would cry and bark. The boyfriend snored horribly. The people above argued constantly, and the new folks that moved in wakes up very early and are very loud. Not to mention, there's a little restaurant a few doors down and a bar on the same street so even if the neighbors aren't disturbing the peace, the people on the street are and you can hear them as if they are standing right in the apt with you.
The walls are so thin! It was like living in a cardboard box with nowhere to go. I was told to cancel if I wanted, and truth be told, I wanted to. However, everything was already booked up and the few that weren't were so ridiculously priced that I had to just stick this shit out!
Ready for the kicker? BUGS! I have killed roaches and large black water bugs that look like large roaches. When I first came to the apartment, flies were swarming around there. My kid literally built up anxiety from the bug infestation and I'm not a messy person at all! The host called the City and stated that there was nothing she could do. Back home, we have a company to spray our house and yard to avoid bugs entering the premises.
If you will be cooking, please note that above the stove is an open space full of rock. That rock debris falls onto the stove and will fall into your food and pots. Therefore, make sure you cover your things. It's really bad especially when there's construction happening.
Oh, and speaking of construction. I literally had two Russian-looking guys come to the apt demanding to be let in because they claimed they had to check on something. That was so disturbing to me as I was there alone with my little child. I tried reaching out to the host but was unable to connect with her until after the fact. She did apologize about that but you don't think that after you've paid over $4k for a place you're privacy will be invaded by strangers without any word or warning. I totally understand that she didn't know about it either, but it didn't feel good.
The area: I'm familiar with Baixa-Chiado prior to booking but since my prior apartments were all nice and quiet, I assumed that I'd have the same experience here. This building is very old, the apt is old, and you will not have peace. If you're traveling with kids or more than 2 people, you'll probably want to stay in a quieter place in lisbon. Chiado is in the heart of the city and works for someone young who may be up at all times of the night. If you need to work, it might not be a good spot for you. However, there are lots to do nearby and the trains are in very close walking distance.