Upon arrival Luisa was eager and gracious; she and her husband were kind enough to meet us upon an early morning arrival and allowed us to check in before the stipulated time. They helped us upstairs with our luggage and also agreed to rent us the apartment for one night after returning from a trip to Porto and yes they stored our luggage for free while we were gone. The host gave us a map and showed us some point some points of interest and also left us some public transit card (metro cards). The apt was centrally located as advertised, modestly clean and quite basic. That’s as good as it gets.

The street entrance to the building for access to the apt was dark, dirty and unwelcoming. The flight of stairs was very steep, not suited to the elderly and also poorly lit. The bathroom needed some work - the shower stall had mold. The kitchen needed to be tidied and neatened up. The cutlery, plates, glasses and appliances need an upgrade. It also needs to be made clear that the host and her family live in the apartment when it is not being rented.

The biggest drawback is that it is located on a very noisy street with lots of activity in the wee hours of the morning resulting in sleepless nights. This apartment would be best suited for young adults who party all night and can sleep with freight trains in their heads. It has a bohemian, hippy feel about it and though it is centrally located, it’s not for everyone. It may appear that this is the first time they are renting the place but much improvement is needed to make this a truly “charming” apartment.

*Please note that the “charming” apartment on AirBnB got good reviews and that is why we chose it but upon arrival we were given a different unit.