The Fixie is like a hand built fixed gear bike all the fittings and equipment are solid quality. What we have provided is beautiful and utilitarian. Lightness and clean lines. Simplicity with maybe a little over-engineering here and there. All pulled together by that quietly confident Lisbon inner city street style.
The small 100 year old building has a total of 6 apartments, 2 per floor. Other than the very thick walls and façade everything, but everything is brand new: from the water pipes to the super comfortable German laminate flooring. Vintage frame, latest components.
Let's do the walk-through: Your studio apartment is on the first floor, an easy walk up 2 short flights of stairs. The front door is a reinforced Italian built Dierre security door: bit of overkill in Lisbon but its solid and soundproof. The living and sleeping area is one open space with 2 distinct and functional zones. The sleeping area has a double bed with high grade base and mattress and padded headboard. Built-in cupboards with sliding doors provide hanging space and some drawers for your clothing. There is added stowage space under the bed: a gentle pull on the base and the mattress and base are lifted by hydraulic arms.
The lounge area has 2 Spanish designed "Club" type sofas: basically low slung arms chairs without the arms that can be pushed together as a double sofa or used individually. Depending on how the back is folded you can recline deeply or have lower back support for comfortable upright sitting. The TV is mounted on a swivel wall bracket that gives a 180 degree range of movement: pull it out at 90 degrees to watch from the sofa or even kitchen. Fixie comes with unlimited WiFi internet access.
The kitchen is full sized with composite speckled white stone counters. Smeg appliances include: convection oven, 2 plate glass/ceramic induction cooker top, built in microwave oven/grill combo and fridge. There is a combined washing machine and spin dryer but on sunny days the laundry dries a lot better on the typical Lisbon cable and pulley washing line system outside the window. Reheat last night's presunto pizza or cook up something complex from scratch: all the tools are here. Dine at the countertop between the cooking and living area. There is also a new Nespresso Machine (we listen to our guests!). 4 free capsules are included so either bring your own or buy more at Pingo Doce.
The two sets of double windows are double glazed and have shutters to keep out the morning light and act as an extra sound barrier to random sounds from the street below. The windows open fully or may be tilted inwards to allow an airflow but stopping gusts of wind. Of course there is also a high quality air conditioner - heats or cools. The outlook is to the stone paved street below and an old characterful building opposite. The road is a narrow crescent: used more for parking of the residents than as a thoroughfare. In fact in summer it is possible to sit in the middle of the road with a book and a drink: a sort of urban beach.
The bathroom is large in relation to the apartment: tiled from floor to ceiling in rich chocolate block tiles. Equipped with a broad rectangular wash basin, toilet, bidet and shower. The shower is a large clear safety glass enclosure with a floor of solid matt black stone. It has a huge monsoon type head and a smaller hand shower is a less torrential output is required. Yes, there is a hairdryer and wall socket for it next to the bathroom mirror.
As a holiday place or a business power pad for a week or a few months the Fixie provides easy living in this ever so trendy, very central, yet relaxed Lisbon neighbourhoood.
For parking, the street the apartment is on is a possibility. Most "historical" zones have very draconian rules: residents only and then only over non-work hours. This road seems (for now) to have been passed over by the Lisbon Câmara (Town Hall). There is also new underground pay parking about 250 metres away that is available 24 hours a day.
The neighbourhood and what's nearby: The official parish or "freguesia" is Misericórdia which includes the areas of Cais do Sodre, Bairro Alto, part of Chiado, Santos and Santa Catarina. All of these districts are within a radius less than 1km from the Fixie. The banks of the River Tagus are 400 metres away.
For transport the most convenient hub is Cais do Sodré station and ferry terminal. This is less than 500 metres away and from here you can catch a train to Cascais, a ferry over the Tagus or get onto the Lisbon Metro network that covers large areas of the city. There are plenty of bus and tram stops outside Cais do Sodré and within 100 metres of your door. But really, you can avoid cars and public transport altogether and still discover a huge amount of Lisbon on foot whilst based here.
"Tourism Code: 19831/AL"