6/10 Okay
John B., New London, PA
21 October 2024
Great location - difficult rental
The townhome is beautifully situated on the Douro River with views from the balcony – a great place for an aperitif. There are MANY good restaurants in the area. Most of the seafood ones are big enough to share. It is easy to get to some of the best Quinta tasting rooms, and the “funicular” to the upper reaches of Porto is convenient.
Do not expect to cook in unit – it has only 2 burners, no oven, and no cutting board.
The master bedroom is quite comfortable. the second floor bedrooms have an odd arrangement – one twin with a trundle bed in each room. If opened up, the beds fill the entire room. It is quite noisy between floors because of the open stairway construction and there is no sound insulation between floors. There are no handrails on any of the stairs, so bringing bags down from the third floor can be awkward.
One thing that should be addressed immediately is the mold around the second floor bathroom. If there is still a leak, it should be repaired. In any event, the mold-blackened wood flooring in the hallway is more than disconcerting.
Finally, communication between VRBO, the unit manager, and Hostwise was EXTREMELY confusing. Each exchange I had was duplicated (sometimes more). There were at least four Hostwise responders plus the manager. This could easily be simplified; get rid of Hostwise. I have been renting through VRBO for many years, sometimes up to 8 units at a time. I have never had such a confusing experience.
John B.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2024