Hi everybody,
When we bought the flight ticket to Porto, I started looking for accommodation and most of the apartments I saw on Airbnb were beautiful. Just the opposite of Algarve.
But when I read the comments, I dismissed almost all of them because in the reviews people complained about cleanliness. In the end I stayed with two and booked with the one that responded better.
The accommodation was close to the center, almost next to the law school of the University of Porto. The area was a bit ugly, but it didn’t feel unsafe.
The building was very old, and it is logical because we were in the center, but it was quite well preserved and had an elevator.
The accommodation had self-check-in so we accessed with a key. Upon arrival we had a small problem because the code to the apartment was not accepted, but the host responded immediately and fixed the problem for us.
I have to say that it is the first time that I find that a tourist accommodation managed by an agency is really well managed from the first contact.
The apartment was well decorated with attention to detail; the only thing I didn’t like is that it had carpets and that, no matter how hard you vacuum them, they are always dirty. One detail that I loved were the bedside tables that seemed super practical.
The bathroom was very spacious and clean. There was enough toilet paper and soap for the entire stay. The only bad thing is that there was no bidet.
In general, all the surfaces were spotless, the only thing was the floor that was a bit dirty and there were hairs in some places.
The apartment has a giant television, and this was what people praised the most in the reviews. We make the most of it every night by watching a few episodes of Better Call Saul.
Although it was a loft, the kitchen area was well separated from the rest of the apartment. In addition to being clean, everything looked very new. The oven and microwave did not have a single grease stain, it seemed that they had never been used.
All appliances were of good quality, and you had all the basics: salt, pepper, sugar, washing machine capsules, kitchen soap, oil.
The internet also worked perfectly, although since we took vacation that week, we didn’t check if it was enough to work either.
Here is a summary of the pros and cons:
Pros
- Self-check-in which is perfect due to the pandemic situation and not to worry if there will be people to give you the keys when you arrive.
- The decoration was good.
- We had all the basics: soap, toilet paper, laundry soap, salt, pepper, sugar, oil and even some coffee capsules.
- The host was always very efficient, and the treatment was impeccable.
- The location was good because we were a few minutes from downtown.
- Good internet.
- Good quality appliances and giant television.
Cons
- Even though all surfaces were spotless, and everything looked new, the floor was dirty and there was hair in several places.
- The street was quite noisy and the neighbor’s children in the building across the street spent the whole afternoon screaming.
- The kitchen was very small and insufficient for a long stay.
- There were no cleaning supplies such as broom and mop. For a week it is not necessary, but if I stay a little longer, I like to clean.
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