I remember sitting at home in California, researching “the best” neighborhoods to stay in Lisbon. Having never traveled to Portugal before, Lisbon was my first stop after my Food and Lifestyle Photography Workshop in Porto Covo (about an hour and a half south, along the coast).

But the big question was….where to stay? Food, bars, shopping, markets, tourist sights…I wanted it all. Neighborhoods that kept popping up in my search queries were Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto, with each having their own unique flair.

When I travel, I stay in a variety of places depending on the location. Apartments, villas, hotels, resorts, even friend’s houses. But as I had two whole (and glorious) weeks in Lisbon, it was the perfect spot to get settled in an apartment – and I was thrilled when my search led me to Lisbon Serviced Apartments.

Lisbon Serviced Apartments have locations throughout the city, in all the best neighborhoods. So honestly, I did a bit of eeny-meeny-miney-mo and chose the Baixa-Castello location. It was bright, light, modern (very West Elm-styled) and the studio apartment was the perfect size for me, as a solo traveler. It looked comfy cozy, with all the amenities that make an overseas apartment a “home.”

The Amenities

Alright, so let’s talk amenities, starting with the kitchen (of course). It’s modern and sleek with everything you could need to whip up a healthy breakfast or dinner, with organic ingredients purchased from the local market. Oven, stove, microwave, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, coffee pot, water kettle and toaster – most of which are nicely hidden behind ultra chic white cabinets. Also hidden in those kitchen cabinets – a washing machine/dryer combo. Yes! A massive necessity when you’ve been traveling for long periods of time (I was in Portugal a whole month).

The spacious bathroom is no less sleek, covered floor to ceiling in grey marble and with huge drawers providing way more storage than you could ever need for all your toiletries. The bed is firm, which I find common in Europe/Asia – don’t you? And there’s two small couches to lounge on in front of the TV (that I actually pushed together). Bonus? The TV is loaded with several international channels, so you don’t have to worry about brushing up on your Portuguese!

After a day of wandering Lisbon (I did a TON of walking) I’d come home, lounge on the couch, use the wifi to check my email, send out new blog posts and make myself some herbal tea.

It’s all about location and convenience

The apartment has daily cleaning service and it’s perfectly centered in Lisbon and smack-dab next to Alfama (where all the fado bars are). But if you want to be closer (ie – 10 min less walk) to the top-notch restaurants, check out their locations in Chiado and Bairro Alto.

Oh, one last thing I loved about this apartment, it was all key-less entry – both the door to the building and the apartment door are all code based. Super easy. Though I did have to type the 7-digit code into my phone so I wouldn’t forget.

Lisbon Serviced Apartments are the perfect accommodation if you’re looking for something more homey than a hotel, with a fully-loaded kitchen, spacious bathroom and lounge space. Their city-centric locations are the perfect jumping off point for exploring vibrant Lisbon – just pick the one that feels “you”.

My stay was in partnership with Lisbon Serviced Apartments. As always, my opinions are my own. 

For more information on Lisbon, check out my Lisbon City Guide.