Staying at Erika's place was lovely - and it was in the best location possible. I want to give a balanced review, so here are the PROS:
-Location is amazing! I could not have picked a better street or a more perfect area to stay in. Near lovely restaurants and bars, safe, easy to access, in the center of everything spectacular - it was wonderful.
-The apartment is HUGE. I mean, it's sort of astonishing. The beds are super comfortable, everything was clean and just lovely. We got a lot of rain, so we did not have a ton of sunlight, but I can imagine the main sitting room to be flooded with natural light on a sunny day. You see the tops of trees, and it is just beautiful. The street can be a little nosy, but I am far NYC, so it did not bother me at all. Fully-appointed and really so comfortable.
-Erika is fast with communication and incredible kind and accommodating.
CONS:
-The first couple of days, we did not have an elevator to use - it was out of order. That was a disappointment, as the apartment is on the 4th floor, and we had to carry our bags up several flights of stairs. Eventually, however, it started working again.
-We lost water one day and then hot water - eventually all was fixed. None of this was Erika's fault at all - these things happen and was totally out of her control - but it was not great to experience this. That said, Erika was on top of it, amazing at communication and took care of everything that she could and very quickly. So whatever Erika could control and take care of, she did.
-Because of work, Erika was not able to get us our key upon our arrival, so we did have to wait around for a bit. We were exhausted from travel and wanted to start our day, so that was frustrating. That said, we found Fonda Mayora, which is AMAZING, and we had lunch. That made us feel better and Erika's friend came by with the keys about an hour after arrival. Again, this isn't the worst thing in the world, but I want to give a balanced review, and that was a minor immediate frustration - one that we forgot once we ate and saw the gorgeous apartment that is lovingly decorated.
All in all, a very good stay, and I would definitely recommend.