My husband and I had a lovely stay at Maria João’s lovely home in the perfect location in the middle of all key spots in Lisbon (it’s in Alfarma but on the west edge of it, essentially right next to Baxia - basically perfect location). The location was great. The apartment is located just off of a trendy street with gelato, cafes, small convenience store, restaurants, bars, and a vintage store. It is surprisingly quiet at night. It helps that the bedroom is located in the innermost part of the unit as well. The unit is on the first floor. No stairs necessary after walking around town with alllll the stairs in the world.
The unit itself is an apartment converted from a wine tavern. It is small but cozy and lovingly decorated. The host Maria João met me at check in and welcomed me warmly. The bed was comfortable and the room was dark, good for sleep. There is a small washer in the unit in the washroom as well as tiny outdoor area to hang dry. Unfortunately, when I was staying, there was a bit of a lingering damp/sewage smell coming from the tiny outdoor area and the washroom so I kept the door and the window to the area (in the washroom) shut, as well as door to the washroom, which kept most of the smell out. It appeared to be an old city & plumbing issue. When I alerted the host, she was attentive and apologetic. She suggested remedies, offered to address it immediately, and also vowed to make available products to address the smell.
Our checkout was smooth as well. We arranged a contactless checkout.
One last thing! The area is so central you do not need to take any public transit while you are exploring the town. It is also so close to the airport (17-30 min by car depending on traffic) but taxis can be costly (they charge extra for luggage in Portugal) so I suggest you opt for Uber, which is cheap (6-9€ for trip to/from airport one way). Feel free to take the iconic tram 28 if you’d like but you can also explore on foot. Please make sure to have comfortable walking shoes. There are a LOT of stairs, steep hills (up or down), and it is almost always faster to walk rather than take a car because of the small streets and congestion.