I was a little hesitant to book Claudia's apartment for the month that I was going to be in Berlin. I go to Berlin twice or three times a year and have certain favorite neighborhoods. This was not one of them. Fortunately, I was extremely pleased and surprised that the neighborhood is lovely, friendly, and filled with most of the conveniences that make urban living simpler. But now a bit about the apartment.
The apartment is quite large but really only good for two people. I was by myself and it was perfect for me. It was delightful to be an Airbnb that was NOT a showroom for a certain Swedish inexpensive furniture store. No, everything was unique and charming if a bit odd now and then. The apartment is filled with original large paintings and clever touches such as umbrellas serving as lamp shades for what appear to be normal office recessed lighting panels.
The kitchen more than served my purposes for the cooking I did. The fridge is tiny and has almost no room for ice...
The only caveat would be the bedroom which is down a very steep set of stairs in a nice dark basement that remained cool and slightly moist creating a very comfortable space just for sleeping. I loved it.
But this would be a major problem for those who have troubles with stairs or drink too much.
Earlier reviews mentioned the Wifi, but that has been fixed and is very reliable and at decent speed. I did use my trusty travel repeater to make the signal stronger for the downstairs bedroom.
There are several connections to the bus and U-Bahn (subway) very close making it easy to get most places although it does help to remember that Berlin is a very spread-out, large city! It's also only a few minutes from Central Station so arriving by train would be a snap!
Claudia and her son are delightful and extremely helpful. They are vegetarians and had lots of tips for places to eat nearby.
The apartment is on the ground floor and has a private entrance directly to the street as well as one into the building's "lobby" and front door. For skiddish Americans, the neighborhood is safe and there is a cafe right next door, so the apartment is very safe.
I hope to stay there again when I can stay for several weeks again.
Thanks.