Rafael’s place is in an ideal location for enjoying Mexico City. I traveled with my wife and our 7-year old son for a week of sight-seeing in mid-March. We had a delightful time.
Regarding the apartment: It is nice and the pictures show it well. It’s on the 5th floor, next to the elevator. The other tenants in the building were quiet and they seemed friendly. There is a 24-hour doorman on the ground floor for increased security. The gentlemen attending the door were friendly but they spoke no English.
Regarding the location: Below the apartment, at the street level, there's a French bakery (Ficelle Boulangerie Patisserie) that produces heavenly aromas in the morning. The bakery sells tempting and delicious treats and some of the workers there speak excellent English. You can buy your coffee at the bakery, but there are several good coffee shops nearby including Starbucks. Most mornings, I found myself at Cielito Querido for my caffeine fix.
The number of restaurants and bars in the area is simply incredible. Look at Google Maps, the apartment is next to the Wallace Whiskey Bar. The bar scene really gets going on the weekends and it stays busy until 3:00 am. Surprisingly, it's not too noisy inside the apartment, especially in the bedrooms since they are located in the back, away from the street. Of course, out on the balcony, you can hear music and traffic, but out there it's fun to watch the street scene below.
Overall, I found the people in the neighborhood to be charming and friendly and I felt safe there. I did notice a police presence, especially when the bars were busy. I never saw a fight or any threatening behavior.
Nearby, about two blocks away, is Mercado Michoacán, which has a good selection of fruit. In front of the mercado, you can hop on the Turibus (Google it). And across the street from Mercado Michoacán, there's a 7-Eleven.
There's a Superama about 1 km away. Superama is a grocery store owned by Walmart and it sells food familiar to people from the United States. An Uber from Superama to the apartment costs about 40 pesos and takes just a few minutes.
Uber was very convenient and affordable and we used it most days. Sometimes, during rush hour, it was just as fast to walk. Traffic in Condesa wasn't too bad, but outside the neighborhood, traffic could be very bad. For example, an Uber from Soumaya Museum to the apartment during rush hour took more than an hour.
Overall, we had a great experience. We already want to return, and when we do, we will try to stay at Rafael's place again.
Finally, Rafael was attentive to our needs and his English is excellent.