I stayed at Barbara's place just about a week. Barbara was very sweet and accommodating. The apartment had a lot of nice comfort items (fridge, bathroom, and others) to make the stay very comfortable. The key handoff was simple. Place was very cozy. Neighbors were quiet. Good neighborhood. The downtown St Kilda area was a short walk. I didn't feel like I was far away from the action at any point. If bars are your thing we really enjoyed the Republic restaurant which is right on the beach (very cool beer garden vibe). For late night Venudo's was bumping. There were a lot of restaurants decently priced with good food in St Kilda. Also, it was a short cab ride to Melbourne CBD (10 minutes). We were able to get in and out of St Kilda easily to visit other areas of Melbourne. All in all, I would say if you were looking for a affordable place to stay with a sweet host which is in a good Melbourne neighborhood this is your spot! Book it ;-]