Letters from Lisbon – Part 2 

It’s rained a lot here since my last letter. And that weather is much worse than what people here are used to. It made the apartment where I was staying uninhabitable, and I had to find another place to stay at the last minute. (As in: right now I’m in Lisbon, and Airbnb’s customer service canceled my current booking for me starting at the end of this week 😅). Meanwhile, my internship is, of course, continuing as usual, and I already have some news to share about it. This was the second week of my solo travel adventure as a student who moved to Portugal for four months to do an internship at a Michelin-starred restaurant. An unexpected turn of events that I didn’t see coming… 

February 4 – First Impressions of Working at a Michelin-Starred Restaurant 

I’ve now spent two days at the restaurant. During prep, I’ve always been able to help out by assisting someone who handles the basic prep and certain parts of the menu for everyone. The rest of the team works in pairs on a specific section of the menu; there’s the cold section for appetizers and desserts, and then the hot section. Each section has a sous chef who always prepares a specific part of the menu. Every now and then, the sous chef comes by to taste the food; he has a clear vision of how the dishes should taste, be plated, and so on. There’s also a head chef who’s usually only in the kitchen during service. There’s a dishwasher who’s there all day, and someone extra always comes in when service starts. This core team is always there, even though it’s currently the off-season and there were only a few tables today. Their guests are very wealthy tourists. The menu consists of 12 courses, paired with wine or homemade non-alcoholic beverages.

On the first day, I tried to watch everyone at work during the service. Yesterday, during the service, I asked if I could help out on the cold side, and I was allowed to do two tasks; the rest of the time, I peeled six limes, but I was allowed to stand among the chefs, so I could see the whole time what they were doing and what they were preparing. 

February 10 – Enough is enough, but will I be able to find another place to stay in time?

I’ve only been at my current place (Airbnb) for two weeks, and I already have some big news: I’ve managed to end up having to move to a different place after less than two weeks. I was finally able to book it just in time, and hopefully it will have different features than my current place…

Take a look at my chat with Airbnb customer service: “It has rained a lot over the past few weeks, making this place practically uninhabitable. Rainwater is seeping into the apartment through the walls and ceiling, causing a constant pool of water to form in half of the place. To prevent people from slipping, there are soaked rugs on the floor. There is severe mold growth in several places, which (especially in the bathroom) causes a very unpleasant and unhealthy odor. For the past week, rainwater has also been leaking almost continuously from the ceiling through the light fixture, creating a life-threatening electrical hazard. The host’s solution was to disconnect the lighting circuit from the power supply. The kitchen, bathroom, hallway, and laundry room currently have no lighting. It wasn’t until a few days later that a battery-powered light was installed in the bathroom; before that, I had only the light from my smartphone. 

The people here live here too, and they don’t seem to see any problem with the situation. I’ve already tried to explain to them that this is absolutely not what I want to pay for or stay in. They can’t seem to understand. The only thing they promise is that they’ll clean up once it stops raining—which still hasn’t happened. 

I feel completely deceived and, on top of that, unsafe in this accommodation. I would like to find another place to stay as soon as possible for the duration of my time in Lisbon. I am a student and am staying here for an internship. Could you help me cancel the reservation for this stay (and the associated payments, the next one of which is due on February 16)? Would it be possible to get a refund for the €800 I’ve already paid, since the accommodation doesn’t match the description at all?”

The photos were taken during my own stay and reflect the actual condition of the accommodation at that time.

February 11 – Airbnb's solution & have I found a new place to stay?

Update: Airbnb canceled the reservation for me, so I won’t have to pay for the coming month—which is normally required if you cancel as a guest at the last minute or during your stay. They also recalculated the price, refunded me a portion of the amount I paid, and apologized for the conditions at the accommodation. Still, they’re continuing to rent out the room as if nothing is wrong. 

By the way, I'd also found an Airbnb near the restaurant. Just to be safe, I sent the host a few questions because I didn't want to end up in the same situation I'm in now. So far, the host hasn't responded.  

February 12 – A Very Special Birthday

Today is my birthday. I spent the morning fruitlessly looking at accommodations in the area. These days, I only trust reviews from guests who have actually stayed there and can give an honest picture of the place. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my current stay, it’s that absolutely everything can be made to sound better than it actually is. So far, I haven’t found anything that’s affordable and doesn’t have reviews describing mold, dirty accommodations, and other unpleasant conditions. I finally made a reservation at the Airbnb listed by the person who didn’t respond to my message, hoping for the best. My current booking expires on February 15… I spent the afternoon and evening at the restaurant, just like every other day. 

February 13 – A reservation made without hesitation (and without thinking, too)

I just got back from the restaurant, but there’s so much noise on the street that I can’t sleep anyway. I just got a notification that the reservation I made yesterday wasn’t accepted. So I decided to keep looking. Suddenly, I found a place that was ideal—closer to the restaurant, with very nice-looking photos, and pet-friendly. The price was higher, but still much better than a hotel (which, by the way, is absolutely crazy here in Lisbon). I booked it right away for as long as possible. Hopefully I won’t regret this…

February 14—First holiday at the restaurant 

Today marks two weeks since I officially started my internship at this restaurant. I’m really, really happy to be doing my internship here. The food they cook here is truly amazing. I’ve already learned so much. Everyone is also super nice to me. It sometimes already feels like I’m part of the team and not just that intern from Belgium. During prep, I help out whoever needs a hand. There’s usually one person assigned to that task, so now we’re doing it together. Because of this, I get to do a lot of different things, and over time, I’m starting to understand how the dishes are put together without ever having to memorize a recipe. 

These days, I’m also allowed to work independently more often. During service, I sometimes help out on the cold side (especially with appetizers). During my first service, I just watched everyone to absorb as much as possible about how they work. On my first day, I was allowed to plate one part of a dish that consisted of two parts. They also explained a few other dishes to me then. Every day since then, I’ve been able to help with plating. There are now two items on the menu that I’ve plated many times and that have actually been served to guests. In a Michelin-starred restaurant!!! Isn’t that amazing? 🤩 

February 15—The Move 

Today I'm moving into my new Airbnb. The photos looked promising, and the host seemed very friendly. But that was also the case with my previous place… You can read about how that turned out in the next letter. 

See you next week!

Best regards, Zoë