The Point - Bairro Alto I (NEW)

I arrived at 5:30 pm after travelling from Porto and found an apartment that was completely unsuitable to stay in. There was a powerful, lingering cigarette smell, just one stained, dirty towel for two people, and long hairs on the pillows. Under the pillow covers were blood and mold stains. I also found hair in the kitchen sink, visible faecal matter in the toilet, and a dirty living-room table. The toilet and kitchen had no door between them, just a curtain, something the Booking.com listing had left out. Blue IKEA bags packed with dirty laundry were stacked in the hallway, obstructing it and creating what I considered a fire hazard that could make a quick evacuation difficult. I provided photos of all these problems. We had booked through Booking.com for mid January 2025. I told the host that the conditions were unsafe, and as a senior clinician, department head, and medical expert, I felt responsible for raising the health and safety risks. The only offer was to have the apartment cleaned “again” the next day. Given the immediate concerns, I arranged different accommodation at the last minute, at a premium, and asked for a refund. The host refused, saying a cleaning solution had been offered. That showed no accountability for the state of the property, and I found it unacceptable. I urge Booking.com to remove the listing so future guests aren't exposed to similar conditions. Leaving accommodation like this available, in my view, risks guests' safety and harms the platform's reputation.