My parents joined us for this trip, their first AirBnB experience, so I was anxious for it to go well and prove to them that it's a great way to travel!
We were hosted by Maggie's sister Fiona, a lovely lady who was flexible with times, welcoming and informative about the apartment and the area. She had stocked the fridge with bread, milk, butter, eggs, cheese and ham, which was extremely welcome due to the later -than-planned hour of our arrival on a very dark, wet and miserable night. The added bonus of a parking space outside Fiona's house two minutes away was the icing on the cake, as parking would otherwise have been expensive and inconvenient.
The apartment was so cosy and well-furnished, with lovely touches both decorative and functional. This was probably our favourite place we've had to ourselves on AirBnB, and we've been perfectly happy with almost everywhere we've stayed. My parents loved it, and would definitely stay again- that's as good a recommendation as I can give!
Location-wise, it's a very short walk to Christchurch, Dame St, Aungier St, even across the bridge to Stoneybatter and Smithfield is faster on foot than by taxi. But you're not in the depths of Templebar, which can be so messy. A good balance. The only problem with the location is you'd need to be a deep sleeper to not be disturbed by traffic noise from very early on weekday mornings as both bedroom face onto a busy main commuter road and the windows don't block the sound at all. There were some earplugs in the bathroom which came in handy :-)
In terms of security, there is a front door that only residents have a key to, and the apt door also has two locks, one which can only be used from the inside, so no concerns there.
All in all, a tiny but beautiful apartment that we felt lucky to have found as a base for a special few days. Thanks Fiona and Maggie!