Casa da Pendoa

I booked this place on ******* thinking this was a hotel. Well, it is not a hotel, it is an AirBnB type property. They do not have a reception like all AirBnB properties. However, unlike AirBnB properties, they have no one on site to help you. I drove all the way there. The directions to get there were not good. They texted me on Whatsup and told me to follow yellow signs with the Name Casa Pandoa once I entered the village. They told me to ignore the GPS directions once in the village (Sintra). The yellow signs were not easy to spot, I did manage to see them and they sent me to a road the was blocked. I gave up and tried to follow my GPS, the GPS took me to the guest house. When I arrived there, there was a map with the location of the apartments on a wall, I did not understand the map. I called them on whatsup and they texted me back and said they would not answer whatsup calls. I told them on messages that I could not find the apartment, they told me I need to put the right code on the door to be able to get it. I could not communicate with them my needs, I could not find the darn apartment. I finally called *******, they called them on my behalf, they answered *******, they said that there was no one in the property to help me find the apartment. ******* canceled the reservation on my behalf and I left. The streets to drive in the area are very narrow, you must be very careful to drive without scratching your car. I went to a hotel instead with a reception. From now on, I do not intend to stay in places without someone in the property that I can talk to when I arrive. Virtual reception does not work well. Even AirBnBs have someone on property to help you if you need assistance. They have no one.

The description says it has a fully equipped kitchen/kitchenette well it hasn’t even got a toaster or a bread knife. The fridge was a mini bar and there were hardly any cups plates etc so why have a mini wishwasher?

The apartments are located in a very quiet area where you can sleep with your windows open. During the night one can hear the peaceful sounds from the birds in the forest nearby. Although the stay was perfect, the apartments are completely inaccessible for unfit or older people or people with disabilities. The police stopped our Uber taxi far down the hill, forcing us to drag our bags more than 200m up a steeply inclined hill. Apparently, no cars are allowed inside the old residential area, except for residents. Needless to say, this unfortunately soured our experience of our stay in Sintra.