Aren's place is the perfect place to stay if you want to feel like a local during your stay in Amsterdam. The loft is even more incredible in real life and it accommodated me and my group of friends perfectly. Aren is extremely generous and let us use everything in his apartment as if it were our own - musical instruments, CDs, kitchen appliances, etc., he left a six-pack of beer in the fridge for us, and there were also no strict clean-up instructions or rules we needed to follow.
There is also a Spanish tapas restaurant at the end of the street with great sangria and a jazz bar just a 5-10 minute walk away.