I stayed in Maarten’s apartment “Downtown city center” for 12 days/nights to be in the immediate neighborhood of the venues of the Rotterdam film festival 2018 (website: (URL HIDDEN) On my arrival day I was received by Nienke, girlfriend of Maarten. She showed me around in the apartment, demonstrating how things worked and where I could find spare amenities when needed. Most important part of the tour was to explain the various ways to enter and exit the apartment building, which is not so obvious as it seems. As a heads up for future guests, I’ll advise to take the time for this guided tour. The layout of the apartment itself is straightforward, but that does not apply to the building around it. However, it is not a real issue once used to it, and to have walked through the building by yourself. #####
Being a self-catering traveler by choice, another important point is to find a supermarket. That was the easiest part, as there is one on 200-meter walking distance to provide for what you need. The kitchen contained everything necessary to cook my own meals. The coffee machine produced much better coffee than the Nespresso and Senseo devices you usually find in rented apartments. I didn’t use the oven and microwave, so I cannot report on those. There is ample tableware and cutlery, more than sufficient to accommodate dinner guests who can easily be arranged around the 6-seat table. #####
Being in the city center, all imaginable warehouses, shops, bars and restaurants can be found within 1 km radius. The well-known Musempark is on 1.5 km walking distance, reachable within 15 minutes when using public transport as available in front of the apartment building. For excursions farther away, the central train station is within 10 minutes on foot. #####
The description and the photos on the AIRBNB website are true to reality. Check-in times are very flexible when agreed beforehand. And their helpful attitude is commendable: for instance, when I mentioned that I forgot to bring my Chromecast device (to connect my phone and laptop to the TV-set), they offered to bring their own the next day. All in all, I have trouble to find anything negative to report about this apartment.