Saudade

I liked the decor of the unit, we picked the booking specifically because of the relatively low price to stay in Alfama where it is quieter but also close by to Baixa. It’s an old building so it’s very charming and has high ceilings. You almost feel like a local of Alfama living there ( or that’s how I imagine it would be). Unfortunately, this also comes with many downsides. I really enjoyed my stay for what it is, but I think I won’t be staying in apartments going forward. The photos are actually quite representative but think of it has a long apartment without too much space to move around.

The bathroom is quite small. If you have lots of toiletries, you will have to sprawl out into the hallway, kitchen cabinet area. The door to the bathroom is also difficult to open after you close it due to a malfunctioning handle. There is also the challenge of choosing where to hang your towel. The towels never seem to dry since the unit is poorly circulated and since the staff only changes it every 7 days, after day 1, you will be strictly using a damp towel until day 7. The sound isolation on the property is poor. From the main living room area, you can hear everything going on at street level. I imagine the inverse is also true. Unfortunately, opening the windows is mandatory since it can get quite damp and musty in the unit even after a short shower. Because the unit is only on the second floor and the road directly facing it is on a slope, if you open the main windows, you are basically opening up the entire living space to the street. The unit only has a single small space heater. Thought it is effective at heating one of the rooms, it can easily get suffocating in that room while the rest of the space is ice cold. Maybe visiting the unit in spring or fall would be best. The very steep staircase to the unit can present accessibility challenges. The public facing doors are very small. I wouldn’t recommend the booking to anyone with mobility challenges or anybody too tall, wide either. The kitchen looked relatively equipped though I personally did not try it. It did seem to have everything you need to do some basic cooking. I also think I didn’t read because the bed is a double so it was a small adjustment to sleep 2 on it.