Lisbon Bica

If you book a fairly cheap apartment, don't expect a luxury hotel. Ours was charming, a little crooked like so much in Lisbon, clean, pleasant smelling and comfortable. The location was ideal, about a five-minute walk to Cais do Sodre, where you can catch the train to Cascais and the green metro line. There are plenty of charming bars and restaurants nearby. Special mention to the bike bakery closeby, where I had some of the best food I ate all week. We had daily room service, fresh towels each day and new shower gel every two days. The listing said the apartment came with a fridge, kettle and microwave, but ours also had a hotplate, minioven, washing machine and dryer. We loved having an apartment with personality and felt we got what we paid for. If you're going by taxi from the airport for the first time, ask to be dropped at Rua de São Paulo 218. From there, it's only a few stairs up, while the other way is much longer. Visiting Lisbon means dealing with stairs. The city feels like 60% hill and 40% hill with stairs.

Our stay at Lisbon Inn Bica Suites fell short of our high hopes. The apartment felt cramped and was much smaller than we expected. There wasn't a proper window for ventilation, so it got stuffy. Nighttime noise was another problem. Sounds from the hallway, especially bins being moved down the stairs, kept waking us. The thin door didn't block much sound, and restful sleep was hard. We appreciated the central location, within easy walking distance of many attractions, and the staff were friendly and helpful during booking and check-in. But there were some frustrating practical issues: the hair dryer we were told would be there was broken, some furniture felt flimsy enough that we hesitated to use it, and the room wasn't cleaned during our stay. We did get fresh towels daily, but no other housekeeping, which made things less comfortable as time went on. There were a few positives, but it didn't work for us overall. With some improvements it could be a more pleasant place to stay, but for now we'd suggest looking at other accommodations in Lisbon.

The location was great and the price was incredibly low, so it could work for a short visit during a quiet month like March. But we didn’t get the apartment we’d booked. Ours was basically a narrow passage, with the bed facing the street door. You could see passersby’s silhouettes through the vents, and hear them clearly because there was no soundproofing. The simple PIN lock also made the place feel insecure. Room service cleaned every morning, which was nice, though the apartment still felt unclean, especially the bathroom, where bugs often ran around. There were rusty nails sticking out of the shower walls for no apparent reason. One night after heavy rain ahead of the next day’s storm, sewer water started rising in the shower. It didn’t reach the room, but the smell was so awful that we had to leave for a bar right away. The street wasn’t too rowdy while we were there, luckily. I’d look elsewhere for a stay during peak tourist season.

The bed in our room was broken in the middle, and we hadn’t even been given the room we booked. Still, that wasn’t what made the night so awful. Around 1 AM, a man upstairs began screaming and banging on doors for more than two hours, as if he were trying to break in. Doors kept slamming and the building lights flickered on and off. It was frightening, and I didn’t feel safe enough to leave my room. By 3 AM I was seriously thinking about finding a hotel instead. We got no sleep, and when we told the hosts, their reply didn’t reassure us. This was the worst night I’ve had in any accommodation. I wish I could give it zero stars. If you want a peaceful, safe stay and the room you actually booked, stay far away.