I stayed with Nicola while I was attending a conference at the convention centre (only 10-15min walk), so I wasn't there often. Nicola was very friendly and flexible in that I was able to drop my luggage off early before checking in and she also offered that I could keep it there during the day so I could explore prior to heading out for my evening flight. I felt fairly safe walking on my own sometimes very late at night in the surrounding area, and it is also reasonably close to a skytrain station. In a previous review there was mention of the apartment not being clean. That was not so: there is the normal wear and tear of a lived-in space, but everything was in good condition and very clean. The one issue I had was that the bed was more firm than I am used to, but I am sure others would have no problem with this, and it didn't adversely impact my stay. If you want to easily get around downtown, this is an ideal place to stay!