Special apartment that I had the great opportunity to stay at for a couple of months! Has its pros and cons at present:
Pros:
- Terrace is really remarkable, especially for dinners, and although the plants photographed were mostly gone such that there was now a good deal of empty space (and although terrace was flooded for the first couple of weeks due to drainage issues at neighbor’s), it’s very rare to have an area like this to oneself in the city at all (I understand that host also plans to replant soon)
- There were still a couple of remaining plants that were great, and host also kindly purchased some when I arrived, after I asked about the plants
- Lots of space elsewhere in the apartment
- Superb location with a ton of options for food and similar in the neighborhood
- Several useful kitchen tools were available, like hand blender
- Couch folds out (even if very stiff, and even if host once asked me “Your whole family lives in the apartment?” which was apparently not the joking inquiry that I thought it was, when I had my mother stay at the place for two nights and then a week later had two other family members in town at a hotel)
- Host is mostly very sweet otherwise and for instance arranged for me to arrive a couple of nights early for a reasonable price (given the rate otherwise), was always a pleasure to see her
Cons:
- Limited internet (although before going overseas for much of my stay host kindly worked with me to improve internet by moving position of router while deactivating television, which was no nuisance for me, and host even offered to have me move upon arrival since she knew I would be working at home a lot)
- Decor, appliances, and more some decades old (although apartment is cohesive in its own perhaps retro way, may just not be to everyone’s taste)
- Shower upstairs has drainage issues that for me required frequent use of plunger (water could otherwise leak onto floor)
- Shower downstairs was missing some pieces (door, shower head fixture)
- Storage closure in this bathroom held up by magnet and falls to the side easily
- Photos of apartment not entirely accurate right now (plants mostly gone, as mentioned above, but also more furniture, more paintings, etc., which again may not be to everyone’s taste)
- Host visited the day before departure to make sure apartment was as she wanted it, which I haven’t yet encountered otherwise, but then I think felt two days later that in fact the kitchen was not clean (I have mentioned old appliances above, and I certainly could have cleaned more, but I understood that after personal visit before departure host was not expecting further detailing)
- Pricey, especially relative to summer sublet directly from acquaintances or similar, although admittedly hard to compare with other places because of unique terrace (plus also balcony)