100 m from the ocean - 8 people

There were several negatives to the enjoyment of our visit, including:1. There was no one there on May 25 to let us into the property. After a lot of time-wasting we managed to contact Ribeiro, who in turn called a neighbor with a key to the property.2. The house and its contents were very old and urgently need modernizing. Specifically: - there were too few power points to charge all of our cel phones, tablets and laptops; - the bathroom and cupboard doors in the main suite do not close; - the communal bathroom upstairs emitted a foul smell all the time we were there; - there were cockroaches in the kitchen. 3. There is constant noisy road traffic past the front door of the property.4. There is a main railway line running next door to the property with frequent noisy trains.5. The adjoining house was being refurbished, with constant banging and drilling during working hours and noise from the cement mixer all the time we were there. We are disappointed with VRBO's quality control because none of the above problems were signalled in its description of the property, which was consequently misleading. We made the best of a bad job but should not have been required to. We feel we are entitled to a discount on what we paid for this property.

Firstly, I'd like to say we had a lovely week at the house, which is in a great location for visiting Porto and the surrounding area without the need of a car. Just a 10min walk to the train station, and also right by the beach and boardwalk, which takes you north or south along the coast. If you have a car, parking is not a problem. The trains do run past the house and occasionally toot their horns, but the noise is not intrusive. The landlord is a warm and friendly chap who greeted us on arrival, and we muddled through a tour of the property despite no common language. It should be noted, he lives in the front two rooms of the property - this was not made clear prior to arrival, and may not suit everyone. As it was, this didn't bother us too much, however some evenings we were very aware of a washing machine/dryer running constantly, and raised voices were noted on one occasion! The house is spotlessly clean, however I would agree with a previous review, in that it is very cluttered - so many chairs, knick knacks and flower arrangements that had to be negotiated in order to make room for our belongings.. minimal decoration would be better for a rented property. The pool is cool and small, but perfect for a quick dip to cool down or for kids to play in. And the BBQ is more of an electric grill type thing, which is a shame. On the whole, I feel the house is priced a little high for what you get, but it suited our needs for the week.

We really enjoyed our stay in this home. It’s an idyllic seaside residence located steps from the beach. The owner was very friendly and helpful. Check in was easy and professional. The home is actually larger than it looks. Four well appointed bedrooms upstairs with two bathrooms. The kitchen is a good size and so is the eating area. The pool is not heated but we had no problems. It is adequate size for kids to play in or just have a dip to cool off. There is also an outside bathroom and shower area beside the pool. There is a good waterfront restaurant called Neptune across the street on the beach side. A golf course also across the street. Our drive to downtown Porto from the home was 15 min.

Great location, 15 minutes out of Porto. Easy to travel to and from Porto by Uber (£15). 2 minutes from the beach. Lovely views of Portugal.