Maria's place was in a fantastic location - you could pretty much walk everywhere! It was super close to all the main attractions and Temple Bar but minus the noise. The Luas tram and airport buses were also a short walk which was handy. It was also a very safe area which was important to me as a single female traveller. The only thing I wasn't aware of was that Maria has several flatmates so was more of a sharehouse than I was expecting but was fine - everything was very clean and Maria and others living there were all very friendly. Maria offered plenty of advice and was always available for me to contact when needed. Definitely recommended :)