Okay, this review deserves to happen in 3 categories.
The house: The place is maybe a 15 minute walk from box hill central so it's well hooked up. The house itself is beautiful and kept so wonderfully clean it makes you want to sing. I despise jarring or dirty surroundings and felt very at ease here the whole time because of how neat it was. It's also a visual treat. Adam is immensely organised and creative and knows how to maximise space and make everything look great and well blended. Light streams in through the windows, the wooden floors are rocking and the overall decor is flawless. I also appreciated how nothing I had to use at any time was broken or out of order. Even though I spent most of my time working in my room like a hermit, I should probably mention there were a lot of other benefits available--a coffee machine, Apple TV, etc. which many people would probably love to dig into. For me personally though, it was the host, the tree outside, the swing, the wood, light and overall beauty of the house that elevated the experience.
The room: The room was adorable and Adam had added all these little details to make it more pretty, functional, comfortable and SO welcoming. He had kept books, little tourist guides and even freaking adapters for international visitors.
Adapters.
ADAPTERS.
I rest my case.
Adam: Adam reflects everything that's right and good with a platform like Airbnb. Obviously he's an excellent host who pays attention to the smallest of details--that goes without saying after everything I've already mentioned. But he's also a great person and roommate. He respects his place and takes great care of it. He also takes great care of his guests. He's extremely bright and a wonderful conversationalist, but he's completely unassuming about it... very calm and level headed. He also made these gestures like offering me a latte in the middle of the day, little things like that. Overall, there was an intangible quality to him and his place--I just felt light, peaceful and happy. I consider him a friend now.
One of the best things in Melbourne, easily.