Your Home In Bairro Alto Lisbon

With a major city event bringing 25,000 visitors, there was hardly any accommodation left. Thankfully a friend helped me find somewhere to stay, but the way this was handled was outrageous. I had a confirmed apartment reservation, then, while I was flying to Lisbon just hours before arrival, they unsuccessfully tried to charge my card. It worked fine before and after. There was no time to resolve it before I landed at 10 pm, and I found they’d cancelled my booking and checked someone else in. I strongly advise against booking here if you expect professionalism and reliability.

We were four adults, and the apartment was tiny and uncomfortable. Two of us slept in the bedroom and two on an oversized couch. It was dirty and so full of the owners’ things that there was nowhere to put our belongings. The kitchen was cramped enough that we had to place the table in front of the door for breakfast, and the fridge door couldn’t open properly. We’d been promised a landmark view, but all we saw was a pink wall. The photos sent beforehand weren’t of this apartment, and we had to pay cash before seeing it. That was a big mistake. It was 30 degrees outside, so we needed the air conditioning we’d paid for. There were two units, neither working. The remote showed 16 degrees inside, but the machine showed 30. They brought new units after we complained, but nothing changed. It was unbearable indoors, and I’m glad we left before Lisbon reached 40 degrees. Bairro Alto is a very exciting place to stay, but this apartment was a disaster.

We were left out on the street without accommodation after the owner cancelled our reservation and then stopped answering. Three days before the stay, I’d checked with the owner and been told everything was fine. Half an hour before we arrived, a message through booking.com claimed the card on file wasn’t working. That wasn’t true, as I get a notification whenever anyone tries to charge it. We called, but the calls kept being hung up. We gave another working card, then the owner cancelled anyway. When we messaged asking them to meet us, we were told nobody would come. That was the last I heard. Several other reviewers describe the same thing. It borders on a scam. I can’t know for sure, but it seems clear the owner either double-booked elsewhere or saw a chance to charge much more. If you don’t want to spend your holiday scrambling for more expensive accommodation somewhere else, stay away.

Two days before arrival I confirmed my booking for a couple of nights and was told everything was in order. Then I showed up and was told my card had been declined and I had to update it. It seemed odd, but I thought it could happen. I entered another card, then one more, and got the same story each time. After that they cancelled my reservation and left me on the street. Reading the reviews now, I see other customers have had the same experience. DO NOT BOOK. This is a scam!