Alfama, Bright Spacious W/ Terrace Apartment, By TimeCooler

Getting to Alfama Terrace was already a struggle. It’s hard to find, all uphill, and then there are three flights of stairs, 37 steps, to reach the apartment. We’d booked through Guest ready because of the location and good reviews, but our stay was nothing like that. Inside, the fire blanket was out of its case on the kitchen table, a glass water bottle was broken in the fridge, and there was no Wi-Fi. The TV remote didn’t work either. We contacted the property and found them very unhelpful. There’s also no key to lock the front door from inside at night. It locks from outside, but children could open it and get out, with a 14-foot drop from the balcony. By morning, we had no hot water. Guest Ready asked us to find the boiler, but we’d had enough and just wanted to leave. Early check-in costs 15 Euros for two hours, or 45 Euros for longer. I asked for a refund, but day after day they said the request was still under review. Given that the accommodation was falsely advertised on Booking.com and none of our problems were fixed, a refund should have been automatic. Booking.com offered 17 Euros and 88 cents in compensation, but put it in a wallet for another trip. That felt insulting after everything that went wrong. There are plenty of other places to stay in Lisbon. Avoid Guest Ready.

The room was tiny, and the photos made it look bigger. The terrace was always dirty. The bed was tolerably comfortable, but the bathroom has a see-through sliding glass door. If you and your partner enjoy watching each other on the toilet, this place is for you. On our first night we came back tired and tried to watch a movie, but the TV didn’t work, so we ended up streaming from our laptop. I’m in Lisbon often, and there are nicer places in better neighborhoods for less money. Don’t spend your time or money here, especially on vacation. Customer service was nonexistent and disrespectful, and they blamed us for their poor communication. Their messaging system asked for my arrival time, and I gave it as 1:15 pm. I was driving from Lagos and expected them to send the information during the trip. Check-in was at 3 pm. I arrived at 4:45 pm and didn’t get access until 6 pm, even though they knew I’d arrive at 4 pm, an hour after check-in. Then they blamed me for not completing a form that didn’t exist, as shown in the attached photo.

The quiet was lovely, with no cars or people passing by, and the views nearby were beautiful. We had a cozy two-floor apartment and a nice terrace with a view. We were three friends staying together and enjoyed it. Just keep in mind that the walk up from Lisboa Santa Apolónia train station is steep.

We arrived at 5:30 pm for a 3 pm check-in, but housekeeping still hadn’t been done. At 7 pm we were still waiting. When I messaged them, they replied, “We apologize for the delay of the housekeeping team, but we had a check-out today.” Unacceptable!