Did I feel welcomed by the host? Not really...

I actually have never met my host because she had her brother handle things on her behalf whilst she was away. She also didn't come back to retrieve her keys at the end of the stay like she had promised. Instead, she had her brother do it. Her brother was not helpful throughout our stay. Both Sarah and Augustin rarely responded to messages regarding upkeep and random queries about the apartment which were never covered from the get go. I either had to make do or do without. Sarah's things were also left all around the house. It was difficult to find enough space to store our things/put them out. I expected that since we were going to be there for three months that she would have made some space available.

Then, to add insult to injury, over a week and a half after leaving her place, Sarah is claiming "damages" for a dirty apartment and other ludicrous things.

When we left the apartment we turned over the keys to a clean house. It's strange that her brother would not have reported that the place was trashed when we retuned the keys immediately if that were the case. Instead, more than a week later I am receiving a very disrespectful email from Sarah, name calling, threats and accusations included, and a request for reimbursement?! In a nutshell, I did not feel welcomed and this fracas goes to further prove that Sarah and her brother -- whichever of the two is the actual host -- are bad hosts.

All this aside though, the the apartment itself was decent. It's an older apartment and although some things were falling apart it was still functional. In terms of location it was very convenient seeing that we worked 15 minutes away on foot. The neighbourhood is very safe and there is an awesome bakery on the corner, a pharmacy and three supermarkets close-by. For dining, nightlife and socialising though, it was a bust. Also, the apartment faces a courtyard and the noise from the neighbours echoes throughout no matter what. Be prepared for some noise or to not be able to have people over. We didn't really mind it but it might be a deal breaker for some. Well, either that, or the terrible hosts themselves.