Mariame was not able to greet us at the apartment because she is living in another country. She sent us directions on entry -- coded building door downstairs. A key was placed outside the apartment door for access. We did manage to locate everything with her directions after stumbling around a bit.

The studio is as described but for some reason the apartment floor is not as highly polished as it is represented in the photo. And there are drapes on the windows to block out the light which is a good thing for night sleeping as the street is well lit. It is a great and spacious and modern space as described and expected.

It is also one level up and facing a small street that gets noisy -- very noisy -- especially with garbage trucks in the mornings. The people on her floor as well as those living upstairs are also very noisy, clomping around in heels and what seemed like hiking boots.

In the beginning, Mariame's communication was good, but it did not sustain the course. Within a few hours of arrival, it worsened and was not as pleasant as I expected. We seemed to get off on the wrong foot -- miscommunication and language issues were reasons given. We did manage, however, to patch it up to a polite, cordial tone, but it remained rocky until the very last communique.

We stayed almost 3 weeks so my husband and I got to know the area, the people, and studio very well. I was not well for most of our visit so I was home a lot.

We needed to depart a couple of days earlier than planned and since her cancellation policy is moderate, Mariame was able to accommodate us and refund us as per the agreement. She was also kind in allowing us to stay until 2 PM on the day of departure also due to her flexible departure time.

Also, I found the documentation in the apartment haphazard and lacking the tone and spirit of full hospitality services that we’ve received from comparable Airbnb places.

Mariame did not have complete user friendly instructions on how to operate the stove or the washer or TV. Manuals are not sufficient for me.

Overall, we would not stay there again because I left with a general impression that I was a nuisance, a bother, an irritation. Maybe I was. I don’t know. But with those feelings, why stay?