We stayed at Marcelo's flat for two and a half months. The flat looks great, is very bright and has a great view. The location is very convenient, as you are outside the hustle and bustle of the city center but still only a short walk away from Bolhao and everything else in Porto.
For a short stay:
We think this apartment is a great choice. The flat is a good size for two people, the location is perfect, there is a wardrobe to store your bags in, a kitchen for cooking simple meals, and it has a beautiful view out of the windows.
For a longer stay we think there are a few things worth considering:
- The apartment next door is also an Airbnb (or similar type of short-term accommodation) and the walls are not soundproof. If you're lucky the guests will be quiet, but of course you can never be sure who will be staying next. There are also dogs barking in the neighborhood sometimes for hours at night.
- The kitchen is functional, with a small sized fridge and two portable electrical hotplates. Though, after a few weeks of this kitchen, especially if you do prefer to cook at home, it's not the most comfortable space.
- For long-term stays this host asks guests to pay utility bills. Make sure to confirm very clearly with the host exactly what he expects from you upfront. We clearly confirmed via Airbnb that we would be paying for electricity and water only. When the time came, he also requested that we pay for Internet (unheard of for an Airbnb) and for the building common costs (including cleaning of the staircase, elevator maintenance etc.). We reluctantly agreed to pay the Internet as Marcelo had kindly agreed to increase the speed for us after we arrived (we work online and the Internet speed was initially extremely slow). We asked to please pay the difference between the old and new contracts as we believed the old, slow Internet was already included in the price of our booking, but in the end we paid the whole cost of the Internet. Marcelo also initially tried to charge us a fare for the electricity and water that were way above the actual market prices (0.35€ per kWh!). We spent a week trying to determine the real price on our own so we wouldn't be overcharged. In the end the pricing information was clearly and easily available from the utility companies' websites. We were disappointed that we had to go to these lengths to avoid being overcharged. As such, we would recommend to be extra clear about these costs with the host before rending this flat for a long term stay.