This review is based on our stay from early to mid-July for a week. This was the fifth of the seven places we visited and stayed at during our very long trip to Europe. The listing accurately describes this place.
This apartment is located on the 6th floor, which is also the top floor of the building with a beautiful view of the western horizon over other smaller buildings. This building is centrally located just north of the touristy part of Porto and a short walk away to a major transit train station to all train lines. The area is mostly quiet and away from touristy hustle bustle. There is some parking on the street in the front of the building and on the side streets. There is one elevator in the building but to get to it, there are five steps from the street level. The main entrance at the street level is secured with key entry.
The check-in process was easy. Even though the host was unable to meet us, his representative was present at the building entrance when we arrived and helped us carry our suitcases to the elevator. She showed us the entire apartment, answered all our questions and provided us with some tips for local tourism along with maps and brochures.
The apartment is very bright and spacious. The setting sun brings in a lot of sunlight and the morning filtered sunlight is soothing and perfect to enjoy with breakfast and coffee. There is a huge living room with an L-shaped sofa and TV along with the dining table. There is a long balcony, open to the sky which can be accessed from both kitchen as well as the dinning area. The patio table on the balcony is perfect for two to enjoy the morning coffee while enjoying the cool breeze and the vast open sky to the west.
The kitchen has washing machine as well as dishwasher. The kitchen was fairly stocked with pots, pans, cooking wares, plates, bowls, glasses etc. We only used the kitchen to make light breakfast and it was more than sufficient for us. The kitchen has bar stools and bar counter to have a quick breakfast but I would still recommend using the patio table and folding chairs on the balcony to enjoy the first meal of the day. The bedroom has a large and very comfortable bed. The bed linens were clean and fresh. The bathroom is a step away from the bedroom and has beautiful tiles on the floor. The bathroom was very clean and the host had provided soap, bodywash and clean and fresh towels. The bathroom has a tub with shower curtain. The water pressure in the shower was strong and hot water was always available.
The bedroom and living room have Air Conditioning but the kitchen doesn't have air conditioning. Being on the top floor, we needed air conditioning for a few hours in the evening after we returned back to the apartment after a long day being tourists. But we didn’t need it all night. In the mornings, the breeze from all the sliding doors and windows in kitchen, living room and bedroom, when kept open was very refreshing. The ironing board and iron were in the closet. However the board is small but functional for our needs. The Wi-Fi is strong and worked well for us. All the windows and doors to the outside world are not only dual pane, but also there are two sets of sliding doors and windows in parallel to reduce heat and noise.
Overall, it’s a very good place for the value. A small family of 2 adults and 2 kids can also enjoy this place if the kids are fine sleeping on the sofa. Not luxurious, but very functional, bright, clean, easy access, close to major landmarks, safe, quite and just like a home away from home.
For the check-out process neither the host nor his representative were present but we were asked to leave the keys at the table near the entrance when checking out. We checked out at 11am and informed the host. It was quick and courteous. We threw our trash when checking out in the bins located right across the street from this building.
Even though this place is couple of blocks from the typical touristy part of the city, it is still a short walk downhill to the river and the touristy parts. However, for the return, I would recommend taxi or uber ride for aging knees since it’s an uphill walk. There are two markets just outside the building entrance and some decent restaurants and pastry shops in the vicinity. The restaurants around the block are not expensive and mostly frequented by local residents. The host provided us with some good recommendations for food, pastry and also the shops to buy port wines. We communicated with the host using Airbnb app as well as the alternative means of direct communication via other messaging app that the host had initiated conversation with us prior to our arrival.
While we may not return back to Porto again in this lifetime, since there is a big world out there to explore. I hope my feedback will help others make an informed decision about renting this place and calling it their home for their stay in beautiful Porto.