This place is a gem. An absolute gem. I'll try to be concise, but it may be difficult because there are so many great things about the Downtown Peace apartment.
First, the location is excellent. It's located just a 5 minute walk from the Bolhao metro terminal, which makes getting to and from the airport a breeze. Within a 5 minute walk are supermarkets, excellent restaurants and the market street full of vendors selling everything from souvenirs to art supplies. Walking down to the central plaza near the big tower is less than 10 minutes, and Ribeira is less than 15 minutes.
Second, the space is just what we imagined. It's clean, minimal, modern and full of light. In the living room, two big doorways open wide to let in the fresh air and sunshine, which the apartment gets a lot of all day long. Same with the bedroom. The balcony is cute and totally adequate for hanging out and drinking beers, or taking in the sights. You can see the city hall tower and clock tower from the balcony.
Third, Maja was a great help checking us in. She stayed and answered all of our many questions, including naming towns and areas to check out in the vicinity of Porto (by the way, Porto is amazing -- one of my favorite places to stay ever). She was patient and kind, and we really appreciated her input.
Fourth, the apartment had everything we needed: clean shower and bathroom, towels, soap, shampoo, etc. The kitchen was stocked with pots, pans, cutlery, dishes, etc. The washing machine was easy to use and private for the room, and they even gave you access to a drying rack to dry your clothes on the balcony.
Fifth, the apartment was very quiet and peaceful, just as the name described. We hardly saw a soul the whole time going in and out of there. We actually never made it down to the garden, but looked out into it often. There is a cool beer bar below which shares the garden space, but it's not loud at night - just a handful of customers talking and drinking their pints. The apartment is just as the photos describe it.
If you're looking for a quiet, central, clean place to stay in Porto, I highly recommend the Downtown Peace. It's totally worth the money. We wish we could've stayed longer, but after a week, we had to move on to Madeira. We will be back!
Ben and Cadie,
Sandpoint, Idaho USA