We stayed at Maria's apartment in Berlin for a long weekend (Fri-Mon) to attend a scientific conference for work. The place is located in the area north of the city center, in a quiet and safe neighborhood with access to public transports (metro, buses and trams), and at a walkable distance from points of interest in the city (15-20 min walk to: Reichstag building, Friederichstrasse train station, and if you like walking another 10 min extra will take you to the Unter den Linden central area of the city). The Naturkunde museum U-Bahn station makes it also very convenient to reach from either of the two airports in the city, we flew into Tegel airport and took us only 35 minutes (Bus 128 + Metro U6) to get here.
The access instructions provided by the host are very detailed and allow you to comfortably self check-in and check out without any problem. Maria was very responsive and she quickly provided us with updated instructions when we found out that the lock of the entrance gate had been changed the day of our arrival. The apartment is located in a building block, within an inner courtyard away from the street. We loved the decoration and layout of the place, and we were really happy with the fully equipped kitchen that has all the appliances and items you might need for cooking. The bathroom was clean and spacious, with a large shower area and the heater designed to hang towels made it very convenient to keep ourselves warm in the cold winter days. The apartment has very large windows and high ceilings in the living room, which gives a sense of grandeur, yet the roomy areas are kept nicely warm by great insulation and working heaters. The bedrooms are located in a loft area, they have short ceiling, warm carpet on the floor, and comfortable large beds: we found them really cozy and comforting.
The apartment was clean and well equipped with everything we needed for our stay (there is also a nice washing machine, which we did not use but for slightly longer stays might be very useful), we loved the decor and the presence of a projector for movies, a small collection of DVDs, and a sound system that you can hook up to through Bluetooth.
Nice extra perk we found out: looking out of the window you can see what we think are parts of the Berlin wall that were decorated by artists and brought in the court yard as part of an exhibition.
Definitely advise this place for a stay in Berlin in a nice neighborhood not too far from the center, yet with good amenities, a fair price, and a great host that keeps it in tip top conditions!