We booked our September 2021 stay in Porto at Klaus and Anna’s Airbnb. Checking in was easy as we were met at the apartment by Anna’s mother, Lucinda, who was so nice and welcoming, and gave us great information about the neighborhood and surrounding attractions and restaurants.

The apartment is located in the bustling Baixa district of Porto, near Sao Bento station, the Airbnb is in the middle of the action and gives you easy walking distance to restaurants, bars, shops, food markets, and cafes. To the south, the Douro River is an 8-minute walk away where the Ribeira district offers higher-end restaurants, bars, hotels, and shops. To the north, about 8 to 10 minutes walk, is the main city center. Of note is the Igreja Monumento de São Francisco (Monument Church of St Francis) which is a must-see site.

The Airbnb is on the second floor with large windows which overlook a main thoroughfare. The apartment/loft is large, airy, and sports a main living area, which includes a nice kitchen and dining area.

The kitchen is fully functional with a full-size sink, induction stovetop, oven, dishwasher, and small refrigerator. The cupboards are also fully stocked with ]cooking utensils (Nespresso machine, flatware, plates, cups, glasses, pots, pans, etc.).

The living area overlooks the thoroughfare and is great for sitting with your morning coffee or an evening glass of wine while people-watching the busy street below. It also has a music system for playing CDs (some) or connecting your device to the Bluetooth connection, which lets you stream your audio preference. There is no television (which, for us, is a blessing).

The main bedroom has a large (U.S. queen/king) and very comfortable bed and which also overlooks the main street. There is also a smaller bedroom with a single bed toward the rear of the apartment which is suitable for a single person (adult or child).
The bathroom is small and efficient with a shower, sink, and commode. There is also a washer/dryer unit (all-in-one) inside the apartment, which is very convenient.

Things to note: There is no elevator (at least we did not see one), so there is one flight of stairs to walk up, which should be no problem for most, but may be a challenge for people with ambulatory issues.

Also, as in most European apartments, there is no air conditioning, but the open windows provide ample air circulation with the fresh breeze coming off the nearby river.

It should also be noted, this is an apartment in the center of the city, so expect city ambiance, including street buskers during the day and into the evening (by ordinance, they must stop at 23:00), and, while the apartment has been newly refurbished, it is an old European building, so footsteps will be heard from the unit above. Also, the sound of activity on the street (cafes, restaurants, minor construction down the street, etc.) is always present, but things do quiet down later in the evening. If you choose, you can close the windows, which are new, and greatly reduce the sounds from the street (almost fully quiet). One caveat: if you close the windows, it does get warm in the afternoon and the evening, but there are small fans provided to help keep the air circulating.

Finally, while there is Wi-Fi, it is very inconsistent and should not be relied upon for Wi-Fi calling or any type of music or video streaming. We used our mobile device’s tethering to the 3G network, which worked for us.

Overall, we greatly enjoyed our stay at Klaus and Anna’s apartment and would like to offer our great thanks to Lucinda for her amazing hospitality. Our visit to the wonderful city of Porto was everything we could hope for. Cheers.