What a great time our family had in Oporto - a lot of which goes down to Joao's sublime and stylish Palm Tree Beach Apartment.

From the moment we first communicated on airbnb to the afternoon we left the apartment, Joao was kind, attentive and efficient.

He greeted us on our arrival, with supplies for the fridge and a gift for the baby. He discreetly checked in via email after a week to see how we were doing and then bade us farewell on our last morning.

Joao's apartment is luxurious and spacious, providing a restful base from which to explore the wonderful city and beachside of Oporto. It comes with all mod-cons, including a washing machine, handy for babies and washing out the beach towels used on the vast and safe strip of seaside just down the road.

The apartment is located in a cosy and friendly neighbourhood with lots of cafes and restaurants. What we loved about the place was the sense that it wasn't primarily a tourist designation, offering instead a view of Portuguese at rest and play.

Joao's apartment provides a very comfortable home away from home and comes highly recommended - we hope to come back soon.

July 2013