We were quite excited as we walked up to Ben's house - the neighbourhood is amazing, seems super safe and is quite well connected.
The check-in process was extremely easy (got the key from a safe box), and Ben was very proactive and sent us all the information we needed well in advance of our arrival. The mini-flat is indeed located in such a way that you get loads of privacy even if the door doesn't lock. It's at the lower ground floor of a magnificent house and we only saw Ben's Mum twice in the 4 days we spent there, as we were going out.
Similarly, Ben was extremely flexible when we checked out, and we could leave our luggage in the house until close to our flight. This was super helpful as it allowed us to visit the city some more on our last day.
Unfortunately, almost all the other things we experienced with the room were very disappointing.
The bedroom floor had not been vacuumed before our arrival and was quite dirty and there was a significant layer of dust on the table. Even in the bathroom you could see that the sink and other areas had only been lightly touched, and possibly not before our arrival. I would go so far as to ask Airbnb for a refund of the cleaning fee that we were charged.
Also, the furniture in the bedroom was of very low quality, particularly the mattress, pillows and duvet. The duvet was particularly bad, as it did not allow our bodies to breathe and we got very uncomfortable and sweaty - but during the night the room got so cold that we HAD to stay under the duvet.
Since the heating was only on during the evening and early morning, and it was extremely cold outside, it was literally impossible to stay in the room during the day (the single glazing window might have a big part to do with this). This could be a constraint of the building, but if I were the owner, I would look into a way to allow the guests to have a comfortable temperature in the room at all times.
The kitchenette was indeed equipped with cutlery, some plates and cups, a microwave, kettle and mini-fridge, but the extras that Ben provided (such as tea and coffee) we felt were of poor quality and just "thrown in" to make an impression. This should not affect our review of the place because this was never a factor in our decision to stay there, but to us it spoke volumes about Ben's approach to hosting.
Bottom line, we felt the asking price for the room was WAY too high for the value it offers and we honestly felt like this is a huge departure from the spirit of Airbnb - it seemed more like a cash grab instead. We believe that if someone is making this sort of profit off renting out the room on Airbnb, they should reinvest part of that money in making the room more comfortable for the guests - starting with the mattress, pillows and duvet and providing a way to keep the guests warm if they so choose.