We enjoyed our stay in Mikhail’s apartment in Riga. These are our thoughts:
The apartment is well-located in the newer part of Riga. It is only a quick drive with the taxt service „Bolt“ (which is comparable to Uber) to the city center in down, where all of the sights are located. To the next supermarket it is only a 10 to 12 minute walk or a 5 minute drive, a corner store is nearby. The apartment is directly located on the main street called „Brividas“ (=independence). Therefore you can expect traffic noises such as the sound of passing cars, sirens of ambulances every now and then as well as a few braggarts with their big motors a few times per day.
The location of the apartment inside of the building was a surprise for us - apartment number 18A is located in an older building on the 6th floor. To reach it, you have to take 144 stairs - so travel light. After nearly a week, I can report that my legs increased in muscularity and I reached my goal of 10.000 steps a day EVERY DAY.
If you travel by car, there is a safe parking spot next to the building, which costs 7€ (5€ for the day, 2€ for the night) for 24 hours. Please be aware that you have to in order to park there download a special app and provide your credit card information.
My / our thoughts regarding the flat:
It is a very large, beautifully furnished and decorated apartment where you feel at home immediately and do not want to leave. I was really blown away buy the harmony of the details, the beautiful antiques, the quality of the wallpapers, the style of the bathroom. The WiFi was stable and working perfectly.
The kitchen is well equipped, having a fridge, a dishwasher, induction cooking field, a sink, toaster, microwave, beautiful dishes and plenty of kitchen ware.
The apartment has air-conditioning built in, but at the time we visited, it was unfortunately not working.
Coming from Germany and being used having roller blinds that black out the room completely, we were disappointed that there were not black-out curtains or any curtains at all covering the rooftop window. As a result, we got woken up by the sunlight brightening the bedroom in the very early morning at around 5 AM.
The apartment was generally very tidy and clean, but the floor could take a mop instead of only a vacuum, as the bottom of my feet were black after only a few steps - which is less a critic regarding the host, more a critic regarding their cleaning service.
Unfortunately, we can not recommend the apartment for a longer period of time for people that are taller than 188cm. I am 171cm (= 5’7’’) had no problem standing in front of the bathroom sink, whereas my boyfriend who is 190cm (= 6’2’’) could not stand straight in front of it, which affects the back and neck over time. Furthermore, the mattress was quite skinny, soft and not comfortable for men or taller persons. Even for my personal taste (and I usually prefer softer mattresses),the mattress was a bit too soft - especially for sharing it with a partner.
The host Mikhail was one of the best hosts we have ever had. He is very nice, caring, quick responding and accommodating regarding the check-in and check-out times.