Shining View

Lovely place, with a great view and a friendly owner. The neighborhood is great too. It’s the only place I’ve stayed in the old town with an elevator.

Our original accommodation was cancelled, so we had to find somewhere quickly. Luckily, Shining View was available, and from the moment we arrived in the duplex it felt like home. The apartment is beautiful, comfortable, and well stocked. It’s next to a handy little shop for anything forgotten, and all the best spots are an easy walk away. There’s delicious, authentic food all around, and the neighborhood is safe and lovely to watch in any weather. Everything about Shining View was perfect.

The apartment was very clean, and I stayed in a two-bedroom unit. It’s on level -1, but because it sits on a hill, every room and the lounge had opening windows. The living and dining space is a bit cramped, though a family of 3-4 can manage comfortably. Cleanliness was top notch. I was a little disappointed there was no body wash or shampoo.

We ended up moving to another hotel for the rest of our stay. It was central, clean, had proper hotel service, and cost less with better facilities. This place was very expensive for the service, amenities, and location it offered, so I’d look elsewhere. The biggest problem was the manager. We tried repeatedly to reach him when the front door broke and we couldn’t get out. Other guests were left in the bitter cold for over an hour, and my wife's brother was stuck in his room. We called and messaged the WhatsApp number many times without an answer. Eventually we called an ambulance and the fire brigade. They opened the hotel entrance and then our room, where they found him unconscious after taking sleeping tablets with alcohol. He had to go to emergency care. The doctor said the delay getting him to hospital made things worse. He’s now recovering back in Lisbon. The manager was dismissive and acted as if it was our fault. My sister called from Australia too, but he didn’t answer, so she went back to sleep. He later said, “We don't have 24h service. When you called our number and not whatsapp, i called you right back. And texted you. You didn't answer. I could never predict this was happening.” If he had time to return a call and send a message, I don’t understand why he ignored our 15 calls and 20 WhatsApp messages. We’d arranged an airport shuttle, but before we arrived we were told the manager couldn’t meet us for check-in and were given instructions. When we got there, no shuttle was waiting. The manager said there wouldn’t be one to meet us, so we had to take a cab during the busiest part of the afternoon, which cost more than the shuttle. The apartment was clean, but very dated, and several things were broken, including the towel rail and showerhead holder. It’s reasonably close to shops and cafes, with the main centre about 700 metres away.