Bairro Alto Music Guest House

Filipa was wonderful, and the room was cute, very clean, and well located for tourists. For the price, it was worthwhile for us, and the drawbacks didn’t quite spoil the stay. We’d give it around 3.5-4/5. We came in winter and the hot water came from a tank. It lasted about 15 minutes, then needed roughly 30 minutes to heat again, so we ended up taking cold showers rather than waiting. There’s no reception, which meant we couldn’t leave our luggage there and had to find a locker out of the way. The walls are thin too, so street noise and sounds from other guests carry through. Those things were a hassle, but not deal breakers for us.

The location was good, the place was clean and recently renovated, and they cleaned daily. Filipa’s communication before the trip was great. I’d booked the Brahms room, but the day before arrival she said we’d been moved to the Mozart room, the biggest suite. At first we were pleased, though we ended up unsure it was the right upgrade. The entry code sent a few days ahead didn’t work, but Filipa answered on WhatsApp within minutes with a new one. The keypad itself was difficult to use, with numbers that were hard to press. Mozart had more floor space, but it was on the top floor, with low, slanted ceilings under the roof. I’m only five feet tall and still worried about hitting my head as I moved around, and did bump it a few times. The clean bathroom had no shower head because of the ceiling height, only a handheld shower, which was inconvenient. The room also lacked a fridge and microwave, which would have been useful. After seeing photos of the other suites, I think I’d prefer one of those, even if smaller. I’d take a taller ceiling and full shower over the Mozart room.

Filipa and her staff were efficient and helpful, and the rooms were comfortable, stylish, and clean after the property’s full renovation. It’s a great base in Bairro Alto, close to tourist sights, public transport, restaurants, and bars.

The location is great, and the phone and WhatsApp communication was okay. They also arranged a cab pickup to the airport for us. My friend and I stayed four nights, and it was fine overall, but we weren’t fully happy with everything. Our room wasn’t properly clean when we arrived. There was black hair in the bathroom and scattered across the floor, and during the stay they only made the bed instead of cleaning the room properly. We also couldn’t get WLAN in the room at all, and it wasn’t even listed as available.