Pros:
- The apartment was very clean and organized. Katarina had our baby crib set up as requested.
- Great location. Many restaurants nearby and walking distance to Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust museum, Tiergarten Park, and the busy Brandenburg Tor metro station.
- Large windows for a good view or nice breeze but also very well sound-proofed against the traffic below.
Cons:
- Once we arrived, all communication was redirected from Katarina to the office that helps run the apartment. I was hoping to troubleshoot directly with Katarina but she would tell me to speak with the office about the issues. I'm not sure how often she is out of town, so this could be a rare case.
The aforementioned issues were:
1. The heat. Obviously this can't be controlled but the listing mentioned portable fans. When we arrived there were none (it was 35 to 36 C all week). I asked Katarina if she could get us fans and she said to go to the office, which I did. But all they had was one small table fan (there were 4 of us staying there) and another faulty fan, which I returned. Needless to say, we did not get very good sleep.
2. For about 3 hours, in the middle of the day, we could hear workers drilling incessantly on one of the floors below. It was very loud. There was no notification that this would happen during our stay. I asked Katarina about it and again she directed me to the office, which had no solution. Worst of all was that this was the time of day our 2-year old has nap time, and he barely got any sleep.
Overall, I think that the main issues could be solved if Katarina was there, in person, to deal with them. Perhaps I would suggest not to book the apartment if she will be away.