We stayed in the Colares, Sintra home in a 5 bedrooms villa. The house was beautiful, spacious, very clean, and located close to the town and local beaches. Our host, Marilia, was a great host; we received a warm welcome when we arrived at the house. There were some snacks with a bottle of wine and cheese waiting for us. She was very quick in responding to my emails when we were planning our stay at the Colares house. She also made herself readily available during our stay. She also made the time to say goodbye to us when we left.
As for the house, there is room for some improvements to cater to all. The appliances can use some updating. The washer was very dated and small which made it difficult to do laundry. I don't imagine doing laundry during vacation, however, it is nice to have when needed, especially when traveling with small children. The cable and wifi were also an issue for us. During our stay, the World Cup was going on and we planned to watch the game, however, the satellite didn't pick the channel, it was disappointing. As for the wifi, it was located in one area which was a bit of an annoyance as we crowded in one room to get the signal, which was inconvenient.
We expected that the amenities included in the house to be at par with what the house had to offer. It was a great house but was lacking the quality of some of the amenities that should have been standard in an Airbnb rental. Our expectation was high as the fees are on the high side. I also recommend to include in the description items that are not provided with the house such as toiletries and some kitchen items (garbage bags, dishwashing soap). Having advertised as a 5 bedroom home with a heated pool, it failed to include the heating to be an additional charge, which came as a surprise to us two days before arrival. Our group did not anticipate an additional charge of 210 euros to heat the pool. It would've been helpful to have all this information included in the description so there are no surprises.
Overall, we had a great time and thanks to Marilia for making us feel at home.