Gijs is a wonderful host, well mannered and simple. The home is incredibly well located and yet still slightly hidden away so while you are in the house its very easy to forget that you are in the heart of Amsterdams Redlight District. The house itself is decadently decorated with a a beautiful blend of art and history. The space feels modernly designed and laid out, yet there is much of the late 17th century building and character that shows through.
My only criticisms are that:
~ the stairs are incredibly steep (as with any Amsterdam building) and there are a multitude of flights of stairs, which can be incredibly inconvenient when needing to go the the restroom at in the middle of the night. or whenever.
~ As with many Airbnbs, its usual to share spaces with hosts, as it is clearly communicated in this listings description. What is NOT communicated however is that 2 floors below this room there is a larger room also rented out, while we were there another 5 guests stayed in this other room. Which meant that not only did we need to trek down 3 flights of steep stairs to get the bathroom, we would often also have to go back up or wait around as the single shower was shared by a total of 10 adults and 1 baby.
~ The additional 5 men that stayed there also made a lot of noise n the evenings in the central smoking area, the only problem is that the windows to the upper rooms are right over this area so all those noises travel up and through the window, making it difficult to sleep at times.
All of that said and done, I would still recommend this place to stay, as its Amsterdam and its uniquely awesome. Our problems and issues with this place were amplified by us having a 7 month old baby with us. so if you are traveling with an BABY/INFANT, then DO NOT STAY HERE. Otherwise, yes, by all means, it's incredibly well located, comfy and special.