The apartment was nice, the location is central to everything, which also means it is very loud. (You’re right in the middle of everything). This place could probably get pretty hot in the summer, but it was ok for us (max 85 degrees during the day). They have a fan in the bedroom.
This exact situation probably wouldn’t apply to most people, but personally, I just had a really bad experience with the inflexibility of checking in. I said right up front that my overnight flight was going to arrive at 11am, and asked if it was ok if I arrive early, like noon. Cátia said we would work it out, which in my experience always means “yes, we will accommodate you”. This has always happened in every single Airbnb I have stayed in, and what I have done as a host as well. She said she would meet me at 15:30. I explained that I am extremely pregnant (32 weeks), and arriving alone from an overnight flight, and I can’t carry my bags around the hills and stones of Alfama for 4 hours. She suggested a place that would have taken me 20 minutes to walk to, and pay for, which is not a possibility in my situation. I begged and pleaded my case, but she would not budge. I ended up really suffering through that first day, tired, in pain, and frustrated to the point of tears. It really killed the whole vibe of what would have otherwise been a pleasant experience. If I had known the check in time was so inflexible I would have definitely chosen another place. Everyone else I talked to on Airbnb was willing to accommodate me.
On a side note, this is not a local family renting out their home, it’s a management company that has a couple dozen apartments just for Airbnb, so I found it pretty impersonal for this reason. (This situation is also controversial, and is now illegal in New York I’m pretty sure.) But if you’re just looking for a nice place in the middle of Alfama and none of this applies to you, then by all means go ahead.