Old Fisherman's House in Malvarrosa Beach

Hello, I wanted to leave a comment about this home a few weeks ago. I felt amazed and right at home, especially since cleanliness matters a lot to me.

Had a great time, thanks! 😉

The beach was a five-minute walk away, with a bus stop right outside and a tram stop around the corner. The upstairs toilet wasn't working when we arrived, but a plumber came that first evening and fixed it. After that, things went downhill fast. Eight hours before we left, we were told bad weather the day before had caused a leak in the downstairs bathroom and kitchen, and they'd do their best to repair it. Both bathroom sinks drained poorly. The upstairs shower head wouldn't stay on its hook because it was broken, and the downstairs one was broken too, spraying water everywhere. The downstairs bathroom door scraped the floor and wouldn't close. The kitchen sink cabinet kept filling with water, and there was always water under the kitchen, so the leak hadn't been fixed. When we got home, we found a review from a month earlier describing the same problems, so they couldn't have been caused by that week's rain. There were loose electrical outlets with wires sticking out, which felt really unsafe. We couldn't use several kitchen appliances at once, including the coffee maker and kettle, because the fuse would blow and leave us in the dark. The listing said the terrace or balcony was accessible through the kitchen, but it was actually reached by a steep staircase. The cushions were soaked and torn, and we didn't trust the terrace. The sliding doors were stiff and not secured properly in their tracks. The spiral stairs to the upper floor were steep and narrow, and the four people sleeping upstairs had no other way down. There was a lot of deferred maintenance. Communication was very poor. The downstairs bathroom ceiling collapsed completely in the early morning. Thankfully nobody was in there, but what if it had happened half an hour earlier? The host didn't contact us or show up the next day. We felt completely ignored. We sent a photo of the damage to the host and Airbnb during the night, and Airbnb at least responded. We left on time the next day, but when we returned, the damage still hadn't been cleaned up. We don't think the host or co-host even checked the bathroom that day. This was unsafe accommodation. We only got the host's automated booking messages. The co-host asked the next day whether anyone had been injured, then strongly asked us not to leave a review because it would force them to adjust or change the listing. That felt completely unacceptable. We now see the apartment is no longer available through Airbnb, but it still seems to be rented through their own website and booking.com.

The area has daily robberies, including car break-ins, so be careful not to leave anything visible that might draw attention. We were told the street is a route through to a drug-dealing area. As for the house, the entrance is a narrow, steep staircase that doesn't seem up to code. The bed frames are so bad you have to sleep on the floor. Several electrical outlets are exposed. The shower has only a half screen, and its handset sprays in every direction. The sink, shower, and toilet drains look like they haven't been cleaned in years; you need two buckets of water to get the toilet to drain. The downstairs bathroom door scrapes on the floor too. Just look at the photos.