Gabriel Sagel was an amazing host. He was there to meet me upon arrival, helped me to settle in and learn how to use the heater and oven which were foreign to me, he took care of some minor problems IMMEDIATELY, like when lamp bulb blew out and he helped me to purchase laundry tokens, provided an electricity converter and a scale to weigh my luggage for my return trip home.

The apartment was very clean in a younger, hip trendy section of Palermo called Palermo Hollywood, so if you're 20-30-something, it's perfect. I'm 60 so I might have chosen a different barrio if I knew but I was going on the reviews and decided to book the entire 6 weeks. It looked EXACTLY like the photos. The views of the sunsets were pretty. A housekeeper came in regularly during my stay which was lovely. There were several doormen that rotated, which made me feel very secure and an outdoor security camera system to prevent graffiti artists from ruining the facade (graffiti is all over this city and no one does anything about it). There were two elevators which was great! The layout was comfortable and I appreciated the larger kitchen table and banquet seating because I needed the surface to study. The kitchen was fully equipped which I appreciated as I cooked regularly. There was plenty of room for storage/clothing as I was there for six weeks to study Spanish. The bathroom was modern with a bidet, tub and shower and the hot water plentiful. Good mirrors, too! And there's a secure safe that you code yourself to store your valuables.

If you're coming during the warmer months, you will love the rooftop pool. Unfortunately, it was closed for the winter and much too cold to swim, but you could bundle up and read on one of the lounge chairs. I didn't really miss not using it because I was busy with language school.

Be prepared for some culture shock if you're from a first world city. While the apartment building was modern and the apartment amazing, you are in a third world city. Lots of traffic, crazy drivers, awful pollution, cracked sidewalks, dog poop everywhere, and people smoking outside all over, forcing you to breathe in 2nd hand (and 3rd hand) smoke. Pedestrians do not have the right of way and if you're handicapped, you're better off staying in a building close to one of the subway stops that has an elevator. Not all do.