Birchwood

Located in the vicinity of Alfama's most popular sights, Birchwood is a great option for friends' or families' first visit to the city. This is a simple home where wood dominates both the floor and the majority of the furniture, adding warmth to the otherwise scarcely decorated spaces. Even though we'd like to see more art on the walls, we liked the simplicity and the natural light in the communal areas.

Home truths:
* Six guests can sleep in this home, but the last two will need to settle for the sofa bed
* At maximum occupancy, there isn't enough space for all guests to eat at the dining table together
* The sofa is too small to accommodate more than three guests at once – lounging together will be a challenge
* There's no elevator to this fourth-floor home – prepare for a workout up the stairs
* As with most homes in Alfama, the WiFi is quite slow and too weak to support uninterrupted video streaming and other data-heavy tasks