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This is a charming and very spacious apartment with a lovely front wall of balcony windows in the main room. It overlooks a typical street right in the heart of Alfama--directly in the heart of the St. Anthony festival in June, which my husband and I experienced. We enjoyed being right above all the excitement, the crowds and the music, but one is able to retreat to the back rooms of the apartment to lessen the hubbub.
We liked all the vintage appointments of the apartment, and that it had the personality of a real Lisbon home. It was very airy and well-ventilated, though we were not there during a period of extreme heat. Everyone we dealt with in the course of renting, arriving to, and staying at the apartment--from the owner (who lives in Brooklyn), to her local liaison, to her neighbors--were unfailingly welcoming and very helpful.
The apartment location is very convenient to various public transit (buses, trains, trams) and for walking both in and around the hilly streets of Alfama and into the central commercial area of Baixa. I would definitely stay there again, or host with Dulce again.
| Excellent |
Nance
| 6/28/2018 9:58:00 AM |
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If you are looking for an authentic Portuguese experience in a soul-filled, charming, quirky (in the very best way) Alfama flat, Dulce’s Spacious Apartment in the Heart of Lisbon - Alfama is for you. We had the absolute pleasure of a seven-month stay in this flat and found it very hard to leave! It’s a rare mix of spaciousness (the flat is huge and well laid out), excellent local to tourist ratio, modern yet Lisboeta vintage, and ideal location that makes Dulce’s place a special gem.
Located on the first floor (second US), the two front balconies overlook the (mostly) pedestrian street/square and receive both morning and afternoon light. Open the balcony doors in the evenings and traditional far-off fado floats in. Close them and the double-panes keep things quiet inside. The clothes washer is great but even better is hanging your laundry on the lines outside the front balconies, like a true Portuguese, and watching as tourists snap photos of this age-old ritual. Once in a while we greeted them with a smile and hearty “bom dia” and it seemed to make their day.
Inside the flat we found the kitchen utterly delightful with its beautiful tiles, vintage sink, large pantry, and ample equipment. The bathroom shower was roomy and has a large window. In fact, the flat has windows on all four sides so you have lovely cross ventilation. The bookshelf offered several Lisbon, Portugal, and Europe guidebooks, a color printer was available for use, and the Wi-Fi was excellent. Each bedroom had ample space for our belongings and we appreciated all the room when guests came to visit.
Alfama is the most emblematic area of Lisbon, steeped in history going as far back as the 5th century. Steps from the front door, we explored the winding cobblestone streets and alleys, the medieval city walls, gorgeous miradouras (viewpoints) including Santa Lucia and Graça (plus their delightful kiosks), the famous cathedral they call the Sé, and of course, just a few blocks away, the ever-flowing Tagus River and the recently upgraded river walk.
This beautiful flat is ideally located on the downtown side of the Alfama, where you can be part of it all without enduring endless steps to get home (unless you choose to, there’s always that option). Nearby are two Pingo Doce grocery stores, an abundance of small food and trinket shops, restaurants and cafes, and plenty of opportunities for people watching. Out the front door in either direction you’ll find the Metro (both Santa Apolonia and Terreiro do Paço) equal distances, an easy 10-minute walk, the Santa Apolonia train station, the Terreiro do Paço ferries (fluvials), and tram stops.
As if all of this isn’t enough, the icing on the cake is the fabulous, kind, and ever-so-helpful Dulce. She made every effort to make our stay pleasant and memorable. From showing us the neighborhood on our first day to recommending things to see and do to referring us to her dentist, Dulce is the consummate hostess. Always available and happy to help when and where needed, we can’t say enough about how wonderful she was to us.
We highly recommend a short or long term stay with Dulce - in this flat or any other that she may make available. The experience was genuine, pleasant, and a chapter in our lives we will never, ever forget. Thank you, obrigada Dulce, for everything. We loved your beautiful flat!
| Excellent |
Evanne
| 6/13/2018 3:37:00 AM |
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My niece and I rented this 3-bedroom, 1-bath apartment from May-July, 2016. The owner, Dulce Fernandez, met us our first night in town. She had bought a bottle of wine, lunch meat and cheese which we appreciated after a long flight from the USA. We were in the heart of the Alfama District, close to public transportation and within walking distance to the river. We were surrounded by restaurants and we ate at most of them. The best bread you'll ever eat is at the bakery around the corner. We overlooked a dead-end street with a lot of walking traffic which made for interesting viewing from our 1st floor apt. (2nd Fl USA style). The living room has two double-paned large French doors and one small window with iron shutters which we left open most of the time except at night. We spent most of our time there on our computers since we didn't have any wi-fi connection in the other rooms. I slept in a small bedroom off the front room that had a comfortable Ikea twin bed. My niece had the large bedroom with a double bed that had a hard mattress but since the owner had supplied many fluffy comforters she was able to make it as comfortable as possible. We only used the small bedroom in back when we had a few guests. We had a large dining room which we used only to hang clothes from the washer when it was raining A large drying rack was supplied which was very convenient We had a perfect size kitchen with stove, oven and refrigerator. The stove was odd since it was on a high counter. We had to stand on a stool to cook. We have funny pics of us doing that. We did our own cleaning and mops, brushes and cleaning liquids were well supplied. Dulce was very helpful in providing me with valuable medical information that I needed. We recommend this apartment for short or long stays. However, we add this caveat - if you are older (like us) you might not want it the month of June when loud activities emanates from every corner of the Alfama. Dulce was upfront with us about the June festival, which we usually like, but we weren't prepared for the level of loud music played into the wee hours of the morning. If you're young, have at it.
| Good |
Sojourner
| 8/24/2016 1:22:00 PM |