Casa da Belavista

The basement setup was the biggest disappointment. Our unit was entirely underground, with an outside stairwell, something the listing never mentioned. The only view was the stairwell. We called it “the dungeon”: it was damp and musty, and we had mosquitoes, moths, and ants inside. There were no window screens, so we couldn’t open the windows without letting in mosquitoes and moths. The listing on Vrbo said there was a “hot tub,” but when we asked the owner where it was, he eventually said we could put hot water in the bathtub. I don’t think this was a language misunderstanding. The “patio” was just a landing at the bottom of the stairwell, perhaps 5’ by 5', entirely below ground with no view beyond the stairwell and front door. The Wi-Fi was out one night. The “TV” was a small, old Samsung computer monitor with basic cable and one USB port, so there was no way to use a Firestick, Hulu, or another streaming service. CNN was only in Portuguese. Doing laundry was confusing, and washing and drying took 2-3 hours or possibly longer. We’ve travelled widely, staying in rentals and hotels on four continents, and we’re easy to get along with. We’re younger than the owner, well educated, have MBAs and BAs, and have done Ph.D. level coursework at Big 10 universities in the U.S. One of us speaks three languages fluently. We’ve lived on three continents and walked extensively around Porto, probably about 5 miles a day, much of it uphill and downhill. We don’t like being misled or lied to, or having the owner mischaracterize us. The listing is deceptive, and there is no “hot tub,” despite the suggestion that we could fill the bathtub with hot water. The photos we shared speak for themselves.