Cozy Lisbon Graça

The place felt unmanaged from the moment we arrived, as though nobody had checked on the building for a long time. The hygiene was appalling. The linens looked used and unwashed, then had simply been folded over. When we asked for replacements, only the bare minimum was provided, and even that wasn't fully done. Several fixtures were broken, and we couldn't properly secure the unit, which made it feel unsafe. There was no meaningful service or follow-up, and no sign that management cared about the property's condition. For what we paid, the experience was insulting and completely unacceptable. The current rating around 3.8 is wildly misleading; I can't see how this merits anything close to three stars. Management seems to think guests will put up with anything. A complete scam, stay far away.

We were very happy with our stay, and Teresa was helpful from booking through arrival. The garden was peaceful and lovely, with lots of greenery and orange trees. We couldn't get the garden apartment, which would have been nice for the early evening sun, but we could still use the garden. Our street-facing apartment could get noisy at night from traffic and garbage collection, though the block itself was quiet. It's a good little base near Graça, within walking distance of Alfama and the castle. There is a shop next door, a bakery up the road, and a bus stop nearby with connections to train stations for trips to the coast.

Teresa made a big difference to our stay. She communicated clearly from the start through checkout, and answered messages at almost any hour, even late in the evening when we lost our keys. She was incredibly helpful. The air conditioning was also powerful enough to cool the room in about ten minutes. The apartment was clean, spacious, and had a nice garden view. We liked having a kitchenette to save on meals, though the bathroom developed a slight smell after a day or so, presumably from the water. It wasn't as bad as some reviews say. The bed was two singles with separate duvets, even though the original listing said we could choose a double. It's a good budget option near Graça and Alfama, with tram and bus links into central Lisbon. You can walk, but it's a long way and may not suit people with limited mobility; public transport is fairly cheap, with the tram ticket costing €3.50. There is no lift, so the apartment also isn't suitable for guests with mobility issues. We'd recommend it for a Lisbon visit.

The kitchen was nice and had all the utensils we needed, and we enjoyed cooking our last meal there. My parents, who are older, said the beds were comfortable and let them sleep well. The older lady at the front and the cleaning lady were lovely, helpful, and quick to respond when we asked for something. Those were the positives in a stay that otherwise left me and my family very disappointed. We stayed Sunday to Wednesday, four days and three nights, in unit 4 on the top floor. Check-in wasn't until 4 PM, but we'd been assured there was luggage storage, and there wasn't. Luckily, the cleaning lady kindly watched our bags while she cleaned. Once inside, we saw stains on the couch and more yellow-brown stains all over the pull-out bed. The balcony blind was stuck, leaving us without nighttime privacy, and the balcony door had no top hinge and felt loose enough to collapse when opened. A bulb in the cat-shaped floor statue didn't work, and there were lamps on the nightstand with no nearby outlet, so I couldn't see their purpose. The shower was awful. The floor was peeling, with a wooden slat put down to stand on. Its partly clogged drain leaked water from the corner onto the bathmat and across the floor, and the sink leaked too. I raised the couch and bed stains, blind, and shower leak on Sunday. The next day they said the cleaning lady had left linens to cover the stains and that they'd leave a new bathmat and check whether the drain could be fixed. That wasn't the response I wanted, but I said okay and asked for three or four extra bathmats. Only one mat appeared on the entry table Tuesday night, our last night, when we got back at 6 PM. My original request wasn't read until checkout at 11 AM Wednesday, after I had complained about the lack of response. Then the team claimed they'd already supplied a mat but couldn't fix anything because I hadn't let them in. That excuse makes no sense: if they couldn't enter, how did the mat get onto the table inside our unit? The listing seemed to leave out photos of the shower, and the apartment's decor and design were things I liked. But there were too many things needing repair or replacement, and it didn't feel like the team made fixing them a priority. The unit wasn't up to basic guest standards. In replies to Google reviews and to my own complaint, the team always seemed to turn the blame back on guests instead of taking responsibility. I hope they'll address the problems before the next guest. Lisbon's old buildings have their charm, but this place needs major repairs and renovation.