Peter Cribs | Rio Douro & Port Wine Cellars

I've never written this kind of review before, but I was completely taken aback by how terrible my experience was with this property.The listing made it seem like a well cared-for, if no frills property in a central location in Porto. I planned to stay there for a few days with a friend (both mid 30s). Before arriving (and during a major heatwave) the owner clarified that the property did not have air-conditioning. That was worrying given the heat but, then again, I hadn't checked this before booking and the money was already paid, so we were prepared to put up with it. It was *incredibly* hot, as it turned out, but if that had been the only issue I still would have left a good review with maybe a note saying FYI - no air-conditioning!About three days before our arrival, there was a notice in the Vrbo app saying 15 euros were due as city tax. There was also a little note saying Pay at property. Every other time I'd paid a tourist or city tax in Europe, I'd paid it on the day, at the property, so I assumed that's what we would also do on this occasion.On the day of our arrival, I noticed I still hadn't received any directions about how to actually access the property. I asked the owner for these using the chat function on the Vrbo app. After some back and forth I realised that the owner was not going to give us those details until I had paid the 15 euro city tax using the Vrbo app. I eventually figured out how to do that and the owner sent the details through.