Cristina’s apartment is wonderful and provides an excellent base for which to visit Porto. Tram lines 1 and 18 run right past the front door, or you can walk about 2 minutes to access bus number 500 to either head down to Sao Bento railway station (about 15-20 minutes), or go the opposite direction toward Matosinhos (a cute fishing village northwest of Porto which sits on the Atlantic Ocean). There are a few parking spaces on the street outside the building, and during our four-night stay we were always able to find a spot. Her pictures do not lie – there is a wonderful view of the Rio Douro and the Ponte da Arrabida (bridge)… especially at night.

Also, there is a very nice Portuguese restaurant located right next door to the apartment, as well as some coffee shops and bakeries. If you walk about 5 minutes, you can also reach an Continente grocery store.

As for the apartment itself, it is quite charming, clean and modern. To be completely honest, it may not suit all families, for two reasons. First, to access the apartment from the street, you have to climb two long flights of stairs (no elevator), and to get to one of the two bedrooms, there is another flight of stairs beyond that. Don’t get me wrong: Cristina’s listing was completely accurate and totally fair, and she provides many photos of these stairs. But, keep this in mind if you have trouble with stairs. Second, there isn’t much common space or a “living room” per se. If you’re looking for a space to have a meal or a drink, shoot the breeze or play cards, you would have to do it on the table you see in the kitchen (photo 3) or in the sitting area in the upstairs bedroom (photo 18).

If you can get past these two minor issues, you will love this property. I highly recommend it for your stay in Porto.

One final thought about probably the best aspect of the apartment – Cristina herself. Her boundless enthusiasm for her apartment and for the city of Porto was quite evident. After she let us in to the apartment, she gave us a very thorough orientation of the city complete with maps, brochures, and guidebooks. She discussed transportation options, sights to see, and gave us a series of restaurant recommendations. (We took her up on at least three, and did not go wrong on any of them.) During our stay, she came to check on our natural gas supply (for the portable heaters), and answered all of our questions by phone or email quickly and without complaint. We are deeply grateful to her for her help. And, last but not least, she left us a bottle of port for us to enjoy.

All in all, for most travelers, this is a highly recommended place to stay in Porto.