I was so glad I noticed Maria's large apartment on Airbnb. Built in the 1950s, with quirky period details and full of character. Maria has added modern touches to the decor. It easily accommodated eight of us for the occasion of my son's wedding, with four double bedrooms, two ensuite and two of the rooms had a single guest bed each. There was also a shared bathroom. There was access to balconies from three of the bedrooms the sitting room and kitchen. The balcony at the front of the apartment overlooks the quieter end of the Rua de Santa Caterina and lights up with fairy lights at night. There is plenty of crockery and cutlery in the galley kitchen. Just watch your head on the wall cupboards when washing the dishes! We enjoyed using the pod coffee maker, for quick espressos. Maria has spare chairs, which we took into the kitchen as we enjoyed sitting in there with the balcony doors open.
If we were to stay longer than 5 days, I would miss not having a washing machine, but there was a drying rack and an iron for hand laundering. We met Maria and her friend Susan and they were both delightful.