We stayed at Sharon’s place for a month. We had a terrific overall experience, with both Porto and the apartment. In general order of importance, here are the positives about the apartment. First, Sharon is a very nice, gracious and extremely responsive host. When two minor issues arose during our stay, she took care of them efficiently and promptly. She also provided some tasty welcome gifts. Second, the showers had very good pressure and very hot water. Third, the bedrooms were spacious and airy and the beds were all very comfortable. Fourth, the apartment is very well situated. It is in walking distance of many different attractions, but apart from the main tourist areas. Fifth, the kitchen is well appointed and has pretty much everything you need, especially if you’re not doing major entertaining. (The knives were excellent for a rental.) There also we’re plenty of sheets and towels. Finally, the bathroom layout is very idiosyncratic but it turned out not to be a problem at all.
The biggest downside is the inadequate central seating area, which is a combination of the kitchen and a tiny seating area. If you have a large group it is not very conducive or comfortable for spending time together. There is room for a larger sofa and I would recommend replacing the existing two-person loveseat with an inexpensive larger sofa. I would also suggest adding a comfortable chair or two in this area. Finally, half of the chairs around the large table are noisy and uncomfortable. These chairs could be improved at modest expense.
All in all, this was an outstanding experience that, with a few tweaks, could be even better. Because this is a relatively expensive rental apartment for Porto, I have only given it four stars for value. But I still highly recommend it.