We met with Daniel’s friend, Vasco just a few minutes before our arrival time. He helped us find the flat, in this alley-type street. Unfortunately, he had brought the wrong keys, so we had to wait about 20 minutes for his return. So far, that was not a problem. He made us tour the apartment and was helpful explaining the neighborhood, sights to see, restaurants to try, with the help of a map.
The apartment was nice, new but very basic. It felt quite impersonal. As stated in the house rules, we had asked, well in advanced and confirmed twice, that we wanted both beds to be made. It was the large and single beds on the main floors that were made, which came as a surprise, because we had expected for both large beds to be made. We had not specified it but since we are 2 adults, we had not thought that the small bed would ever be made as the second option! If the host were unsure, it would have been appreciated that they confirmed with us. We notified Vasco right away, and he said he would deliver the extra sheets on the same day, however, he only delivered them on the second day, so we were quite disappointed. We also had to request for duvets and duvet covers as only a top sheet had been put in the beds, and being mid-September, it was quite cold at night. We also had to ask for a bath mat, because the bathroom floor was getting soaked when we showered. All-in-all, we felt that many very basic things were missing.
The bedroom currently overlooks an old apartment that is being rebuilt, so it’s a construction site. The workers start their concrete blender at 8am sharp and are quite noisy. There is also another big city construction site one block over, which as can hear with the windows opened. We understand that this completely falls outside of the owner’s hands, but still wanted to mention it for people planning on renting over the next few months. This area is also quite loud at night.
So, if you are simply looking for a place to sleep short nights and not spend time in the apartment, this place works. But if you’re looking for a home away from home, you may be disappointed.