One of the most enjoyable holidays we've had. After looking through a ton of listings, we are incredibly glad we chose Paradise Suites. This place is perfect for those who wish to have a relaxed, chill yet still fun time in Portugal.
**THE HOUSE**
Tastefully furbished house - I should probably call this a villa since the building is big. From what we understood, Angelica and Zilton personally renovated and designed the interior and furniture. Paradise Suites is SPOTLESS with chic, unique decor. We spent a lot of time admiring the objects and ornaments displayed. The garden is huge and well-maintained; perfect place to have one's breakfast or read a book in one of the hammocks. We also really enjoyed taking showers in the magnificent bathroom. The bed is a teeny bit too short for my 2-meter tall husband, but nothing that bothered him from getting a good night's sleep, especially with excellent air conditioning during warmer days. The wifi connection is reliable. The kitchen is neat and has a microwave if you want to take some leftovers home from the restaurant. The "library" has pamphlets for tourist spots and maps, as well as a schedule for massages, manicures and yoga.
**THE LOCATION**
Paradise Suites offers a less touristy, more local and authentic experience of Portugal. It is outside of Lisbon center, so it's not cramped with vacationists, but still central enough to be near the spots tourists typically explore. The train station is only a 15-20 min walk, and another 5 min after that is already the beach where you can both surf and lounge (and the beach in this area is bigger and nicer than the ones closer to Lisbon). The bus stop is also right outside the house if you dislike walking. We easily traveled to Lisbon, Cascais, Peniche, Obidos and Sintra from here. When we wanted to shop or sightsee or party or surf or hike or be where the tourist crowds were, we just walked or hopped on public transport. It was actually nice to look forward to coming back to a spotless, peaceful home after a busy day out.
There is a small grocery store and a pharmacy (if you need masks or have to get tested for COVID) just across the street and a bigger supermarket one kilometer away that sells cheap and good pasteis de nata and wine. At a short 800 meters is a cozy strip of restaurants that mostly only locals frequent (so you know the food is good and authentic!). You can find a variety of cuisine - roasted pig, grilled meat and seafood, pizza, fish, fancy portugese dishes - at a fair price served by friendly waiters. There is an ATM by the restaurant strip, inside the supermarket, and a closer one 100 meters from the pharmacy. Most places take card, though, so during COVID this was convenient.
**THE SERVICE**
As for the hosts, Angelica and Zilton were genuinely open, accommodating, and professional. They patiently answered all our questions. They gave tips on sites to see and visit that we didn't know about, and taught us about the local culture and history. They also provide beach towels and umbrellas if needed. In our opinion, the service they gave during our stay is superior than other listings and actual hotels we've stayed at of the same price range. We were pleasantly surprised by this. We had decided to book our last 2 days at an apartment in Lisbon so we could be closer to the airport when we flew home with our 6 AM flight, and we immediately regretted not staying at Angelica and Zilton's instead, even if it meant getting up much earlier. We wish them the very best and hope to come back soon!!