This was our second visit to Lisbon and this time we wanted to give this neighborhood a try. All in all our stay in the apartment was good and we liked it. It’s very roomy, with lots of windows and high ceilings. For the price we felt that what we got was very reasonable and the owner/property manager was very nice and accommodating.
That said, here’s some things that I think it might be helpful for others to know if they are thinking about reserving this apartment...
1) The location is right in the middle of a heavy tourist area. That’s what we wanted but it does come with some inconveniences. For instance there’s a grocery store nearby but it’s not as robust in selection as others in non heavy tourist neighborhoods. It was also always very busy and chaotic. Also the outside of the apartment is noisy. We found that the room on the Santa Justa side of the building was noisier than the other. The noise was most substantial between the hours of 7:00-23:45 (approximately) as street performers sing, tourists visit, restaurants set up, serve, and take down their outdoor seating. All these things are NOT something the property manager can change but it is worth noting. If you’re looking for tranquil surroundings this is not the apartment for you.
2)The property was clean-ish. Meaning, there’s mold in the bathrooms, some of the walls are scuffed, there’s stains on some of the furniture, but all in all linens, floors, kitchen, countertops, dishes, etc. were clean.
3) The beds aren’t the most comfortable. The larger bed could use a mattress topper for sure. The smaller bed was marginally more comfortable but it’s smaller AND on the noisier side of the apartment. Also, by USA standards we think it was probably more a full than a queen size bed. So if you’re tall, it might be short for you.
4) There’s NO elevator and the apartment is on the second floor. Also, the stairwell can be a little dark. There’s motion sensing lights but we found them slow to turn on. We compensated using our cell phone as a flashlight when we would start descending down the stairs at night.
5) If you like to cook, the stocked kitchen tools might be a problem for you. There’s a complete pot set but only two pans—the larger one was difficult to work with. The smaller one is in better condition but smaller. The knives are extremely dull. There’s lots of dishes and silverware!
All of these things we were fine with. We enjoyed our stay.