Andre is a wonderful host! He responded quickly to our communications, had good suggestions for dining, and met us to welcome us to Porto and orient us to the apartment. He even had some fresh pastries for our arrival.
The apartment is clean inside and comfortable, and the location is great, close to the train station and right on a busy pedestrian street with lots of restaurants, shops and street artists.
There are a couple of things to mention which Andre has no control over. One of the reasons we chose this apartment was the balcony, from which we planned to enjoy the view of the city over morning coffee and evening cocktails. Be aware that there is significant construction in the area, with a number of cranes obstructing the view, and that the buildings below the balcony are in a state of disrepair and renovation. This should eventually be fixed, but for now it tends to spoil the ambiance of the balcony. Also, there has been an invasion of seagulls into Porto, and they screech and squawk all through the night, instead of sleeping. This can be rather annoying, particularly if the windows are open for a nice breeze. These are minor issues for an otherwise fine apartment, but I wanted people to be aware.
Another thing to be aware of in Porto is that many restaurants get filled up for lunch and dinner, and reservations are HIGHLY recommended, preferably at least a couple of days in advance for dinner. Most have two seatings for dinner, at 8:00 and 10:00, and the early ones fill up first, so if you want an early dinner, reserve early. Andre had several good suggestions. Cantina 32, just a couple of doors from the apartment, was wonderful, as was Traça at the bottom of the street.
Be sure to go across the river to Vila Nova de Gaia and take a tour of one of the port wine wineries. We particularly enjoyed the one at Ferreira, with tastings of two delicious ports at the end of the tour.