Casas da Biquinha

The most wonderful apartments, charmingly furnished. Fully functional kitchen, nice decor. Beautifully tiled bathroom with modern sink and shower. Very close to center, train station. Easy public transport-would not advise driving. Narrow lanes and minimal, if any parking.

Owner was not clear about ability to reach the apartment via car. The apartment is located in the historic center and access is restricted until 7 pm. We were told that all we had to do was show our reservation to the authorities and they would let us through to drop off our luggage. We were turned away quite strictly and made to park far away. We had to walk a very steep, narrow and dangerous road with cars coming at us in the opposite direction. My daughter’s backpack was actually hit by an oncoming car’s side mirror. If you have anyone in your party with mobility issues, steer clear of this accommodation.

Poorest services - room was cold (16C) as space heater wasn't working properly. Management's reply - use the 2 blankets to keep warm. Finally heater was rudely replaced after informing management I would leave an honest review. Blocked kitchen drain. Leaky caulking in shower. Overall, a nightmarish experience!

The bad: Arrived 10pm after flight delays so dark. Information given to unlock the key pad to the left of door and to open the key safe on right side of door was incorrect, ie., 1001# did not work; after calling emergency after hours phone # host condescendingly read each word of her email to us, then said “oh, try 1101#” and that worked. 3 flights of stairs with no interior lighting. Room had a loft that was empty. Beds were 2 camp cots pushed together and shoved under the stairwell. Bad smell and weird noises all night (drilling? hot water heater ticking? water dripping??) had me sleeping with the light on, clutching my rosary and cursing every horror movie I’ve ever seen. The good: Hotel is so convenient to the historic center — literally a stone’s throw from the shops, cafes and the tourist center is 1/4 mile away. There is a lovely courtyard with a picnic table and umbrella. The area is pretty with cobblestone streets and steps and blooming plants and flowers everywhere. Bengali Indian/Italian restaurant around the corner is wonderful; friendly service and great food and cheap. Note: We travel frequently from the US overseas and have done for 20+ years. Friendly, helpful service and kind staff are key for us and make up for a multitude of other sins.

Ideally located, very close to the centre and about 15 minutes walk from the train station. Host was very helpful with all check in requirements and lots of information was left in the apartment. Apartment was clean and spacious and well equipped. Air conditioning units were very good and used whenever we were in the apartment due to the heatwave. Would stay again if visiting Sintra

I am torn with this review - on the one hand it was extremely convenient in location to old town Sintra - and the room was nice and clean. There were 2 of us and each had our own "apartment". But one should know that this is a "hands-off" experience. There are no associates available for assistance - and we knew this going in - and we feel we are fairly self-sufficient. But, the various steps needed to enter codes into the various lock boxes to gain entrance were a confusing mess that was made worse by the fact that we arrived later in the evening in the dark and there was not sufficient lighting. We eventually had to contact the emergency SOS number to get assistance. It seemed as if we were bothering the person we were speaking to instead of receiving quality customer service. It turns out the code provided in the email was incorrect, and we were not entering it wrong. In one of the apartments the hallway and staircase offered no lighting which made it difficult at night. Also, cleaning is offered every 4 days only if you reply to email, and extra towels were not placed in the room but left hanging on the door knob outside. I will summarize by saying that the room was nice and clean, and the location was excellent but one must be prepared to be a completely self-sufficient guest, as there is very little customer service that was provided.