Azenhas Apartment

Piscina.

Constituição da cozinha. Sem máquina de lavar roupa. Pressão da água em toda a casa.

The location was excellent. And the pool was a great bonus.

The constant barking from next doors dog. The shower was very hit and miss. Sometimes no hot water in the shower.

Size of apartment and rooms, tidiness, location (quiet, safe area with little traffic), layout of interior, kitchen facilities, fireplace, outdoor pool, friendliness of host, sea view, satellite TV, free WiFi, always cool in the apartment so fans not needed during warm weather, ample extra blankets available, ease of collecting keys, comfortable beds.

Floor was dirty on arrival so we had to hoover and mop it straight away. Toilet seat needed fixing (fixture was very loose) but this was only a minor issue, no laundry facilities (handwashing only!), mattress protector on single bed was dirty, only one set of towels given per person for a week's stay (could have done with a second set due to lack of washing machine). Only a minor observation but no TV in single bedroom or pool loungers (both shown in advertising photos).

The pool is great, even though the water was too cold to use it. The apartment looks quite charming and the terrace is brilliant. The host was very friendly and responsive via chat. Late check out wasn't an issue and when I asked for a frying pan and kitchen utensils they were delivered the next day. The area is beautiful, but quite remote, so it's impossible to get anywhere without a car. We hired a local driver. The locals couldn't be any friendlier. There are two small shops within walking distance and 2 restaurants. I do not recommend the fancy restaurant down by the rock pool. The view was stunning but the service was terrible. The food was average and incredibly overpriced. The restaurant closest to the apartment (Adega) was brilliant and great value for money. Very friendly staff as well. The next resort is approximately 1 1/2 miles walking distance. Sintra is 20 minutes by car, Lisbon centre is around 40 minutes (depending on traffic) and Cascais is also around 40 minutes.

I need to see a chiropractor! The beds were horrendously uncomfortable. We could feel every single coil inside of the mattresses, which felt as if they had been stuffed with pebbles. Between the village (and the neighbour's) dogs barking all night long, the building site right opposite to the apartment and those beds, we basically didn't sleep for a week. If there had been any toppers for the pool loungers, I would have slept on one of those. The couch is great, but only a 2 seater. The kitchen has seen better days as well. There were random and unusable things thrown into the cupboards, mainly plastic bowls of odd sizes. The drawers were quite mucky, but i wasn't in the mood to clean the entire kitchen whilst on my holidays. In fairness, apart from the dishwasher, the kitchen was perfectly usable. There is a sign in the kitchen advising guests that the timer on the dishwasher is broken and needs to be turned manually, but really, the thing is beyond saving. It gets stuck on every single part of the program.