Let me start up by saying this is one of the beat AirBnB places I’ve ever stayed at. Here’s the breakdown:
Cleanliness/tidiness : super clean, very organized
Bathroom: perfect; new bathroom plenty of hot water, nice shower head, and strong pressure; everything looks and works beautifully
Kitchen: new, very well equipped; quality and plenty of silverware; knives could be better; fridge does not a freezer
Living room: small but functional, nice sofa, TV, nice Bluetooth stereo (that’s a major plus to me); small table, chairs
Bedroom: small but works for me; bed is comfy, firm; good size closet
General features: super functional double-pane windows; that was a major plus; they block street noise and light beautiful, almost like magic. Want silent and want to sleep in? No issues
This place is in a great location in Graça/São Vicente/Alfama; it’s quiet, away from the hoards of tourists, traffic and traffic noise
Some items I think you should be aware of:
- The WiFi was quite spotty. The signal is somewhat weak and intermittent. The router is outside the apartment, in the hallway, and it’s shared among guests
- The place has a strong dampness smell if you leave the windows closed
- If you open the windows, a bunch of flies invade the place
- It has an ant infestation. I left food on the counter overnight, some fruit and bread in a bag. In the morning, it was all filled with ants. I had to throw the food away. I notified the host. They came and said they only found a couple of ants (?!?!) and told me not to leave any food on the counter (?!?!). It was not properly addressed.
- The bed barely fits in the bedroom. It only leaves about six inches for you to squeeze between it and the wall. It requires some balance and contortion to get to the closet
- I was on the second floor, there was quite a bit of noise coming from the neighbors upstairs, late at night (3 am) and early in the morning (6 am). A lot of heavy stepping; furniture dragging, dropping things, talking
- There might be some parting in the building and around that may keep you from sleeping, even with the windows closed
- The stairs to get to the apartment are tight and somewhat narrow. It may take some effort if you’re carrying bulky, heavy things
Most of these issues are beyond the host’s control, and you’re gonna find them in Lisbon or several Airbnbs, to a certain degree or another. Buildings in Lisbon, especially in this area are very old. This apartment has been completely remodeled, updated and upgraded. Everything is new.
Would I stay there again? Definitely. I highly recommend the place and the host.
These guys are pros. They do this for a living, and they do it very well. You see professionalism everywhere. Can’t go wrong