Loving Chiado

In the morning, except Sundays, there's delicious bread, and the service was good. The price seemed fair too. The apartment was spacious, clean, and fully equipped, in a good location.

This apartment was filthy and smelled bad. The bathroom ceiling was covered in black mold, and the place was noisy and clearly hadn't been cleaned. I've reported it to Booking.com because that much mold shouldn't be in a property. It was my first time in Lisbon, and the condition of the apartment made it a terrible experience. I had a work event and no time to find somewhere else, so I had to stay the night. I can't wait to get home and wash all my clothes. Disgusting.

The service was excellent, and they replied quickly whenever I needed something. The rooms were clean and minimalist. There are two bedrooms with queen beds, large closets, and windows you can open for fresh air. The kitchen has what you need for cooking and a big refrigerator. The washing machine works, but it's pretty loud. You'll need detergent and have to hang clothes on the line outside the window. The living room is large, with a sofa bed, and the bathroom is a good size, clean, with hot water and strong pressure. The place felt secure, with codes on the entrance and room doors and a camera in the stairway. The location is handy for restaurants and shops. Duque is five minutes away, Ramiro seafood restaurant about twenty minutes, and Tapas 52 ten minutes. The Little Wine Bar is next door, and there are lots of late-night drinking spots nearby. Flor do Mundo is a two-minute walk for morning coffee, fresh orange juice, and English breakfast; O Trevo is five minutes away for a good pork sandwich. R. Garrett, the shopping street, is ten minutes on foot. There's also a small grocery shop right next to the building. You can walk to everything, and Tuk Tuk, taxi, or electric scooter are available right in front of the Church of Sao Roque. I'd definitely come back. There are some serious drawbacks, though. There's no parking, no accessible entrance, and the stairs are narrow and very steep, with no elevator. The hills are steep everywhere, and getting back means walking uphill. If you're on the third floor, good luck. It's not a good fit for families with young kids or anyone with physical difficulties walking. Street restaurant noise gets loud on weekends, though it dies down around midnight. From the living room, you can also hear everyone on the stairs coming in, since the hall is narrow and leads directly to every room.

I work in tourism and have never written a bad review before, but this was the most unpleasant situation I've had to deal with. We booked and paid in advance for three nights at Loving Chiado through Booking.com, just before COVID began. When lockdown came, we had to cancel our flights and accommodation because travel wasn't allowed. The airlines, other hotels, and even the concert tickets we'd paid for were refunded. Loving Chiado was the only one that didn't refund us. We didn't choose to skip the trip or leave because we disliked the apartment. We'd lost our jobs, and we couldn't leave our country. Good customer service in tourism means understanding situations like this, and they showed none. I sent several emails and got no reply, not even an explanation for refusing the refund. I hope the owners or managers see this and finally answer my messages. I hope other people get to enjoy this lovely place, though we won't.