CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Lisbon, Portugal: Airbnb - Steps Lisbon in the Historic Center is a TravelValue

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Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Lisbon, Portugal: Airbnb - Steps Lisbon in the Historic Center is a TravelValue

Airbnb: Steps Lisbon @ Historical Center by BnBird

Rua de Marcos Marreiros

Lisbon, Portugal

No place is ever perfect and it is my responsibility as a travel writer to pass on the good, bad, and ugly to readers and future guests. I tend to go into a fair amount of detail in my reviews, trying to remain as objective as possible so that you have a much information as necessary in order to make an informed decision. Having said that, this apartment was a great value and we enjoyed our stay in Lisbon very much.

Centrally located just steps from the #28 tram line that zigzags east to west across central Lisbon, you can connect to metro, bus and train stations that will get you anywhere you want to go, in Lisbon or Portugal for that matter. Make sure you get a Viva card (€0.50) at one of the Metro stations or many shops (markets, news agents, tobacco stands) and top it up with 24 consecutive hours of travel on Lisbon’s trams, buses, metro and trains (€6.40/24 hours) before you get on the tram because a single ticket bought onboard will cost you €3.80. There is a great little restaurant called “Zapata” at the bottom of the street where you can get a massive, traditional Portuguese meal for about €10 per person and a small market just across the road where Singh, the owner and a wonderful person, will sell you bread, milk, coffee, stamps and Viva cards (at a slight markup) among many, many other things, between 8am and 10pm daily. There are numerous restaurants in the area with cuisines from Mexican to crepes to Cape Verde and everything in between.

Zapata

Half Portion of Chicken and Mushrooms (€8)

Portuguese Steak (€11.90 - Served with Fries, Rice and Side Salad)

The apartment itself is rather small, but has nearly everything needed for a week’s stay. The kitchen has a coffee maker and kettle, but make sure you buy some Nespresso coffee pods from Singh before going to bed because none are provided. There is also a toaster, large fridge, microwave/convection oven combo, induction cooktop (stove/hob) and, best of all, a combo washer/dryer that worked quite well. Unfortunately, they do not provide quite enough cookware, utensils or staples (salt, pepper, sugar, spices, etc.) to cook a full meal although a couple of washing machine tablets were left from previous tenants.

The bedroom is barely wide enough for the bed, leaving a little more than a foot (30cm) on each side and making getting in and out of bed a challenge. There is a small rack on which to hang some clothes (with plenty of hangers) as well as three small drawers in which to store a few odds and ends. The only window in the apartment is in the entry door, so natural light is at a minimum. The bed was comfortable and the room dark, being much to my liking.

The bathroom is also rather small, but big enough for the toilet, a small vanity/sink, and the shower. The floor in the bathroom was not thoroughly cleaned before check-in, the sole discrepancy in terms of cleanliness as the rest of the apartment was very clean. The water pressure was good and there was plenty of hot water, but the shower did not drain well enough, causing water to overrun the lip and accumulate on the bathroom floor. The shower had to be turned off after 60 seconds or so in order to allow for proper drainage and avoid a flood, something noted in previous reviews.

The TV is fairly new and there were plenty of channels available in many languages. The couch/sofa apparently folds down into an extra bed and I found it comfortable to sit on, but the cushion on which we sat constantly crept forward, causing us to have to push it back into place 2-3 times a day, a minor inconvenience. The dining table and chairs were modern and adequate and there was a coat rack next to the sole door on which we could hang more clothes than would fit in the bedroom. The internet was rather slow and the property managers failed to properly address my concern, telling me "did you restart the modem?" when I asked what the issue might be. I ended up using the hotspot on my phone’s 4G Vodafone UK Big Value Bundle for internet because it was much faster and more reliable than the apartment’s internet.

BnBird arranged for an airport transfer for us upon our arrival (€25) which was quite convenient, but we ended up getting an Uber to the airport upon departure and paid less than half (€12) of what their service charged us. They also offered assistance with a rental car, consisting of a message with a link to RentalCars.com.

All in all, we were very happy with the apartment with the positives far outweighing the very few negatives which I felt compelled to describe here. The slow internet, double the price airport transfer, less than perfect cleaning prior to arrival, and tiny bedroom left me no choice other than a 2 Bomb (1 Star) overall deduction. However, close to the historic center of Lisbon and public transportation, this apartment made for an excellent base for exploration of the beautiful and historic city of Lisbon and I can recommend it highly if in the $50/night or price range or less.

CombatCritic Gives Steps Lisbon @ Historical Center 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!