Living like a local: Airbnb Lisbon

I recently visited Portugal for the first time. It’s always great to travel somewhere new and this time I arranged to meet my very good friend Minhsien (from Taiwan) in Lisbon.

After having such a fantastic first experience of trying Airbnb in Brussels in June, I decided to introduce Minhsien to living like a local by renting an Airbnb apartment.

Choosing our Airbnb Lisbon home

We both wanted to stay somewhere in the downtown area with A/C because we knew it was going to be hot in the city in July, other than that, we just wanted a base with good access to transport links.

I discovered Marit’s listing for “Lisbon apartment historic centre” which is on Rua Augusta in Baixa. I could not believe our luck! Seriously, this two-bedroom apartment looked amazing and was available at such a great price (we paid less than €300 for three nights). The apartment was only available for three nights but that was perfect because we hadn’t decided where else we wanted to be based for the remainder of our trip.

Before our stay

I emailed Marit before our stay to arrange collection of the keys; Marit responded quickly and offered to provide tips and answer any questions I might have.

I was arriving in Lisbon around midnight so I decided to stay at an airport hotel the night before, as I knew I would want to get straight to sleep as soon as I was off the plane.

During our stay

Marit provided us with very clear instructions on how to access the apartment and I was met by a man who had just cleaned the apartment and he kindly showed me around.

The apartment is on the first floor, accessed via a staircase. There is a key code to access the building and a key with a very secure lock is needed to enter the apartment. We were provided with two keys.

Our Airbnb Lisbon home

On first entering the apartment I noticed everything was exactly as shown in the listing. Taking a closer look, I realised the space was even bigger than I expected. I immediately fell in love with the place!

Air conditioning units are available in the living room and both bedrooms, and the WiFi was excellent; we could even access the WiFi whilst sitting in the street outside the apartment.

Open plan living area

The living area is absolutely beautiful; so much care has been taken to create a wonderful living space with a range of lighting options, seating and a wall-mounted flat screen TV with cable.

Bedrooms

We loved both of the bedrooms. I had the master bedroom facing Rua Augusta and Minhsien took the second bedroom without a window. The twin beds are easily pushed together to make a double, which we did and then put everything back before leaving.

Both of us slept really well and were not disturbed by noise from the street. Rua Augusta is very lively during the day and early evening but it does get quieter later on. I do however, sleep with silicon earplugs when I travel because I am sensitive to noise.

Bathroom and kitchen

The shower was very powerful and there was plenty of hot water.

The kitchen is fully equipped and leads to a large storage area where cleaning equipment and more cupboard space is available.

The neighbourhood: Baixa

Baixa is an elegant and historic area of downtown Lisbon. Baixa is also a flat part of the city; if you don’t know, Lisbon is built upon seven very steep hills. Buildings in the area are weathered yet colourful and many are covered in uniquely patterned tiles.

Rua Augusta is a main pedestrian street in Baixa; it joins Rossio Square with Commerce Square, via the Rua Augusta Arch. Rua Augusta is beautifully paved with mosaic patterns. From the balcony of the apartment it is possible to see the river through the arch. There’s a tiny beach by the river too, which is a lovely little spot to hang out because it never appears to get too busy and there’s a really lovely relaxed vibe with people hanging around, talking and street entertainers playing music.

Rua Augusta is filled with cafes, bakeries and restaurants with alfresco seating all along the street, and street performers dotted around, entertaining visitors.

There is also a pharmacy close to the apartment; something I unfortunately appreciated and made use of, following what felt like a case of food poisoning!

Would you stay here on your next visit to Lisbon?

Minhsien and I absolutely loved our stay in this apartment; in fact, we did think about changing the locks and moving in! 😀 Seriously though, we both would definitely stay here again in the future and we have already talked about returning.

Get started with Airbnb

If you’re thinking of booking Airbnb either on your own or with others, check out my post; Booking Airbnb: tips for solo travellers.

New to Airbnb? Register with Airbnb here and receive a discount off your first booking.

 

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