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Earlier this summer, I decided to do something totally unoriginal—I joined the hordes of Americans working remotely from Lisbon. I had a wedding in Tuscany to attend, and my flight home on TAP offered me a free stopover for up to 10 nights. I decided I'd stay a week and get a taste of life in Portugal. How could I resist?
The only hangup was that I needed somewhere to stay for that time, and I had a few criteria. I needed fantastic Wi-Fi. I needed somewhere I could comfortably move from room to room if I got antsy throughout the workday (more space than a hotel room). I hoped to have a usable kitchen where I could cook my own breakfast. And, I wanted to immerse myself in a neighborhood far from umbrella-waving tour groups, where I'd be forced to practice my very rusty Portuguese. I wanted what we all want, which is to feel like a local for just a few days.
A colleague directed me to Plum Guide, a UK-based booking platform that has a few fans in our London office. From the first glance, I could tell using the service would make my search easier. Their criteria for listings on the site include strong Wi-Fi and functional kitchens, for starters. But the listings are also consistently gorgeous—as if you applied an “aesthetically pleasing” filter.
I landed on a home promising a leafy terrace right in the Lapa neighborhood, which would give me easy access to the popular Chiado and Bairro Alto neighborhoods, while requiring me to explore lesser-known areas too. (The listing even told me how long the walk would be to various points of interest.) Fast forward to the end of my trip, and it felt like I had spent the week at a family friend's home in the city.
Check-in was friendly, with a message from my host Constança on Whatsapp a few days before arrival, letting me know her son would be there to let us in. Fresh flowers were in the bedroom when we arrived, and my partner and I were guided through the family home, as every feature was covered in detail—the two bedrooms, the three bathrooms, the A/C, the skeleton keys for the front door. It was clear the house had been in the family for years, with vintage-feeling furniture in the front bedroom. But velvet armchairs, bookshelves stocked with colorful novels, and rattan headboards showed me this family knew how to approach the rental game with style. (I promise, there were no “Live, Laugh, Love” signs in sight.) Also underscoring the family element: We were given a friendly heads up that we might bump into the grandfather in the yard, as he lived in the apartment upstairs, and our terrace connected to his part of the backyard. (The prospect was absolutely charming to us.)
In terms of the livable home I'd wanted, this spot was exactly that. Each morning, I'd walk down our steep, calçada cobblestoned street—views right over the city's famous bay included—to a little market for fresh fruit and bread, then come home and fry a couple eggs before logging on. At lunch, I could plate some tinned fish in the retro blue kitchen, adorned with checkerboard tile floors, before eating in the yard; or, I'd walk to a local restaurant for cod fritters. With multiple Wi-Fi networks, I was always on the fastest connection, whether I was working in the cool living room or in the shaded terrace. When I went out in the evenings to soak up the city, taking photos of the balconies and azulejo tiles I passed, I was reminded that I was also staying in one such home—Portuguese tiles lined common areas, like the main stairwell, and I could even fling our wooden shutters open in the front room, to lean out over the iconic Lisbon cable cars zooming past.
Whenever something was askew or I had a question, I could Whatsapp Constança, my host. The covers for the outdoor cushions were still being washed when we arrived, for example, so she let me know a cleaner would be stopping in to deliver them on our second day (the cleaner, Cala, went above and beyond offering tips on great local beaches we might enjoy as she propped up the laundered pillows). You can choose to level up a Plum Guide stay with their VIP services, like a 24/7 concierge, which I realized we should have considered when the A/C began making a funny noise one night around 1 a.m. I also wouldn't mind splurging on the private chef they offer.
But all in all, I felt more than cared for, and perhaps most importantly, I felt confident I could get my work done while also enjoying nights of fado music and grilled sardines. When it was time to check out, I thought about how lovely it would be to return with a bigger group and really take advantage of the spacious layout. But I can't complain: On the final day, I spotted the paperboy cap of the grandfather in the sun out back. He waved hello, and I got that Portuguese practice I wanted, chatting to him as he watched the birds.
Four-night minimum stays start at about $250 (€228).
