Marta's loft was a cozy place to stay but there were several aspects that didn't go as expected.
The first thing that I wasn't too happy with was the communication. Usually, you get the specific information about a location around three days before arrival. In this case, the manager had to send me a code to get in the property, and I didn't get the instructions until some hours before I was scheduled to arrive. I was already driving to Porto from Madrid when I got this information. I was able to read it during a stop for gas. Needless to say, this didn't feel reassuring. I'm a person that likes to plan, especially when traveling alone, and the fact that I didn't get this information until the last moment, didn't help.
Second, the listing mentions free parking spaces on the street. When contacting the manager, she told me that there were no such free parking spaces, as Porto is a complicated city to park, and that I should check the Parkopedia to look for a car park. I was able find a cheap one, 20 euro for 72 hours, but this expense was not initially planned as per the listing. I found this misleading.
The apartment is cute and cozy for one or two people but bear in mind that it's quite spartan in many senses. I cook wherever I go, but I found it a challenge here. There were literally 3 knives in the whole apartment: a very long one for bread, one to spread butter, and another one that you could use on a stake. None of the knives were even appropriate to peel fruit or chop vegetables. There was no cutting board. The light in the kitchen was really dim. I had to turn on the bathroom's light and keep the door open to be able to see anything in the kitchen.
Others have mentioned the moldy smell of the apartment. It's a difficult place to ventilate. It has a window on the front wall, and another one on the roof, but this last one is too high to reach to open. I didn't see any implements to open it, so I guess it never happen s. The property has also serious humidity problems, which don't go well with the impossibility to ventilate properly. There's a dehumidifier in the loft, which I think it's a nice addition, but didn't take long to become full. I usually emptied it before going to sleep, and in the morning it was already off and full. The bathroom needs an active ventilation system. There were also very bad smells coming from it. There were no towel racks apart from a hanger on the door, and the floor seemed dirty. The manager has replied to others' comments mentioning that the floor was porous, and it was not possible to get it properly cleaned. The shower plate was made of this same floor, which I think it was a poorly made choice if it was indeed porous. It didn't feel clean.
The place was also a bit dusty, and the pans felt greasy. I liked the small dishwasher though.
There are some sheet with the house rules, as usual, but I found them to be especially not welcoming. Do this or don't do that and you'll pay a fine of X euros. I was planning on following rules, I've never had issues when going to other airbnb's but this felt a bit too much.
The place is a bit cold due to the humidity, and I only had a blanket in the whole apartment. Marta contacted me beforehand to confirm that I was going to travel alone to make sure that she left what I needed. Well, another blanket would have come in handy. I had to take the radiator upstairs, which was not easy.
For people with mobility problems, this is not a good place. It has very poor accessibility with many many stairs to get to the apartment. This is the last one in the complex, and going up was like taking 5 flights of stairs. Also not ideal when carrying heavy luggage.
The wifi password hints at the five star review that is requested from you, which I found kind of ironic.