From the other reviews, I thought our experience at this AirBnB would be pleasant but I would not come back and stay here again and not recommend this to anyone looking to for a comfortable and clean experience in Lisbon.
I’ll start with the positives: the location was excellent, the bed was a nice size, and the water pressure in the shower was nice. The hosts left us with a few toiletries that included bar soap, shampoo, dishwasher soap, sponge, and some cookies.
Also, full disclaimer that I had asked the host if there was any chance we could do an early check in since our flight was landing in the morning. The host said that he would let us know if that was possible (depending on when the other guests left). Note that I did not expect 100 % to check in early because I understand that it takes time to clean the space in between guests.
Now, why I did not like staying here:
UNCLEANLINESS
The host messaged me the day of check in telling me to meet him a couple of hours early at the apartment. Of course, this was fantastic news however when we got to the apartment, we saw that the space had not been cleaned. In a time where we are still dealing with COVID and just looking at the situation from a hygienic lens, this was absolutely disgusting. We had been traveling for 12 hours ready to come to our room and shower/nap but both the bathroom and bedroom was unsanitary as housekeeping had not cleaned the space in between guests. The host told us that cleaning staff would be here soon. Now while I can appreciate the opportunity to check in early, I did not realize that meant we would walk into a dirty place. The host should have communicated that. If that were the case, I would have wanted the host to let us know prior to us coming to the apartment that it wasn’t going to be ready/clean. He could have told us to drop off our luggage before we got there. Instead, we rushed coming to the space only to realize we couldn’t actually use it until someone came and cleaned it. I have never had this happen anywhere (any Airbnb or hotel). It’s just unsanitary and the host should have communicated this better. Second, when we were shown the unclean space, we asked about the blankets and whether we would be receiving clean ones since by that time we realized that they would not be washing the dirty ones we saw inside the space. The host told me that the blanket on the bed - only the cover is washed not the actual blanket. The fitted sheet was NOT washed. Furthermore, the two other blankets provided (one in the living room and the other in the bedroom) were not washed in between guests either. Again, this is highly gross for me. I host guests at my place too and I ALWAYS wash blankets, sheets and pillow covers in between guests.
BASIC NECESSITIES ONLY
The second reason I would not come back here is because the apartment only has very basic items and very minimal quantities. There were no paper towels despite there being a kitchen or napkins/Kleenexes, and only a few small toilet rolls for our entire 4 day stay. Note that these toilet rolls are NOT the standard American toilet rolls. They are the European size (very small) toilet rolls. I’m not sure why the hosts think that is enough toilet paper for a 4 day stay. Mind you, my husband and I were hardly in the apartment (only to sleep) and we ran out of the toilet roll on the second day. We asked the host for an extra roll and he declined stating that this is not a hotel service. So, we ended up buying our own toilet paper.
Again, most hosts don’t sweat over providing their guests with toilet paper. This felt cheap considering the amount we are being charged to stay here. I would much rather the hosts charge another $5-$10 on their initial charge and be able to provide these basic items for convinience purpose.
Secondly, they provided us with 1 bath towel per person FOR THE ENTIRE STAY. Is the expectation we use the same towel for 4 days straight? I don’t understand. We asked for a second towel and again the host declined. I guess his expectation is that we do laundry while we are here. It did not seem like we asked for much and because the host could not accommodate any of our requests correctly, I urge you to find another spot.
SIZE
The space is much smaller than it looks in pictures. This was not a big deal but just something to keep in mind when booking.
WIFI
The WiFi is spotty. It does not work in the living room or bathroom (works only in the bedroom).
MISC
Finally, I would advise that if you are looking for a quiet place, this is not it. There is a pub across the apartment and you will hear people yelling, singing, talking, at all hours of the day and night. If you choose to close your windows, the air in the apartment gets very stuffy. We noticed ourselves feeling allergies every time we would enter the apartment. Opening windows was not possible due to the sound at night. We asked for a normal fan but the host also said they could not accommodate that. Basically they could not accommodate anything correctly. It’s unfortunate that we did not get to experience the great comfortable experience the hosts and other reviewers said this would be.