Hello Lisbon Santa Apolonia Apartments

We ran into noisy neighbors, and couldn’t get any response from the apartment customer service or our booking intermediary, lastminute. The housekeeper never came during our stay, so we had no fresh towels, sheets, or toilet paper. Cleaning seemed to be only surface-deep in the apartment, and the common areas weren’t maintained. There was no light on the stairs, and people fell there. There wasn’t a proper reception, just an intercom, and no one answered until evening, leaving us without help in an emergency. Even the phone number listed on Google got no response. Breakfast was missing for the first two days despite our complaint. Lunch cost €9 per person per day, but wasn’t worth it because it was the same thing each time. Milk, butter, and jam were left outside the door in a box, not in a fridge. They could also put an umbrella and some salt and pepper in the rooms. The service was poor in general.

Our holiday became a nightmare after checking in. We went two nights and three days with no hot water at all. I was travelling with my family and our 11-month-old baby, and none of us could shower. Customer service kept telling us to wait for the boiler to heat up, but couldn’t help. I got an eye infection, probably from staying here, and my baby went unwashed for three days. This place felt unhealthy. We’d requested a baby cot when booking, but there wasn’t one when we arrived. It took five calls to get it brought to us, causing a lot of extra stress. The automatic check-in machine couldn’t read my wife’s ID or my baby’s passport, so they weren’t checked in. That left us feeling vulnerable and uncovered by insurance. All you want on holiday is to relax and have a nice bath, and we got neither.

The price was very reasonable, and the place was really nice and clean. Service was fantastic, and we enjoyed our stay a lot. They even had washing machines for us to do our clothes. Everything felt top quality. I’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting Lisbon.

We had a great river view, and the apartment was clean and comfortable. The renovated building is right by Alfama, with good transport links, and there was plenty of space inside. But the value didn’t feel right for what we paid, and the company should improve general maintenance and provide a few more useful items. The corridors were dangerously dark, and I nearly fell down the stairs. There were white paint splatters across our floor, which spoiled the otherwise lovely decor. The double bed was pushed against a wall, so one of us had to crawl around the bottom or climb over the other. The mini-bar had wine but no wine glasses. I’d also have liked some English TV channels, even just news. We were charged too much city tax, and getting a refund was a hassle. To be fair, the booking agent was originally at fault. Lisbon has lots of accommodation options, so you don’t have to put up with these drawbacks.