I stayed here for 1 night with my mom and a friend, and we really enjoyed the space- it was airy, clean, nicely decorated, and was in a great location for our brief stay. We stayed in the first floor (1 level up from the street), which has a front living room facing the street leading to the castle gate, with a daybed that can pull out for an additional bed, a kitchenette, and dining table. The back bedroom has a double bed (really 2 single beds that are pushed together), and faces out over a roof to what I think is a back courtyard, and it gets great sunlight. There is a bathroom in between. There were many outlets, the air conditioning worked great, and our host left some cookies, water, coffee grounds, etc for us. There is also a “minibar” (some bottles with reasonable prices noted on them), if you prefer that sort of refreshment. The beds were really comfortable, and the neighborhood was quiet at night, so we could open our windows to get a breeze without worrying about noise from the street - the neighborhood is very busy with tourists during the day, but it empties out a lot at night and becomes more peaceful. It was really nice to wake up in the morning the calls of peacocks and soft ambiance of the neighborhood starting its day. Cafés open early and the tourist gift shops open a little later. I would recommend visiting the castle when it first opens (9am on the day we visited), since it’s only steps away from the Castle Inn front door and is less crowded at that time of day. Stunning views of the city from there! San Antonio bakery is a short walk away and a great place for breakfast & gelato, and Miradouro Santa Luzia and Miradouro das Portas do Sol are also really short walks away and offer great views and a nice atmosphere. I wish we would have had more time to explore, since this is a really rewarding area in which to stay.
The one drawback is that taxis and Ubers can’t drive up all the way to the entrance, only to the castle gate. Taxis may be able to take you a little further, but I’m not sure. This can makes things a little difficult if you have a lot of luggage, especially if you’re arriving/ leaving in the middle of the day when the street becomes very chaotic. Also the stairway is a little narrow, so be aware of this as well, when it comes to luggage. If you’re ordering a taxi or Uber to take you back to the airport during a busy time of day, make sure to take into account that the narrow streets can take some extra time to navigate by car, since they can very easily become blocked. Also make sure to check your email prior to arrival so that you receive the door/ apartment passcode - you will need it in order to enter the building. I hadn’t checked my email in the week before arriving, so I didn’t realize this at first, but fortunately there was a very sweet young woman cleaning the building who let us in and called the owners for us, to get the access code for the apartment. Apparently they usually have someone on-premises to assist guests, but she happened to be on vacation at the time. Anyway it was all very quickly straightened out, and I was very happy with our stay there. I would definitely come back, and would highly recommend this place.