We really enjoyed our stay at Shona's place.
Shona is a very organised host and had thought of everything we might need during our stay and anything we might need to know. She provided a detailed binder full of local information and provided towels, soap and even supplied some food for our breakfast after our late night overseas arrival.
Public transport was walking distance (about 10 minutes to the St Clair Avenue street car 512 or about 30 minutes to Dupont subway station) and a short metro journey after that to reach Union Station (Downtown tourist sights). We walked to Casa Loma in about 30 mins. There are also some great coffee shops nearby (BOB and Dark Horse) which met our pretty high standards.
Two things to take into account when staying here:
1. It is a basement apartment and is very dark at night, so if you have kids with you or are spatially-challenged/frequently forget where you are when you wake on holidays, it may be beneficial to bring a small night light with you to avoid collisions with furniture.
2. If you are sensitive to noise invest in some earplugs. The fridge can be very loud, especially if you're jet-lagged!