The outside of the building is seemingly semi derelict needing a touch of varnish but it is situated in the heart of Cuba Street, a good thing one would expect?
The stay started off badly with the host forgetting there was a midnight arrival and with all the access codes having been changed thereby preventing access. It necessitated an extremely uncomfortable and expensive sojourn elsewhere until access could be had the following morning. Not the best first impression.
Upon entering it seemed to be as advertised. There was a bedroom (with no fan and only one window, which, when opened allowed the tortuous screeching of some mechanical beast in the building behind to come flooding in, so it was no air versus an annoying sound), the lounge had a leatherette 3 seater and a smaller couch which could double up in emergencies as beds. This proved to be optimistic thinking as the blinds in the lounge area did not darken the room at all at night, and what the brochure does not tell you is that there is a deli downstairs which has patrons until 3am, and by virtue of the shape of the courtyard, every sound echoes up into the flat and it is impossible to sleep in that area. We booked the apartment to be used by 2 people sleeping separately, this is simply not a proposition unless you are deaf or completely noise intolerant. Every night was the same except for when the skateboarders used the downstairs for some fun, then it just got worse. The whole thought of having a bookstore downstairs, which sounded awesome, made no difference and there was certainly no period of peace and quiet between the hours of 8am to 3am.
The facilities in the flat were adequate. The cupboards were absolutely full of bedding and towels which means you have to keep your clothing in the suitcase. The shower is great and the hot water facilities were also spot on. There is a washing machine, but no instructions on use. Half way through the stay cupboards were found with cleaning utensils, it would have been nice to have this information before hand.
The kitchen was a little ho hum. DO NOT make toast without flapping a dish towel over the toaster to prevent the smoke alarm erupting like a banshee (twice). The fridge is small but adequate. The previous guests had left some items behind but complimentary sugar and powder milk would have been nice. There was no dishwashing liquid but these are small issues. The kitchen was usable if not brilliant.
In the lounge there is a tv connected to the usual tv channels. It is however internet able but would not connect to the WiFi (when we received the correct access), so it is actually a waste of time unless you like infomercials.
In summary, a fan or 2 would have been welcome as there is no ventilation and heavier window treatments could have perhaps mitigated some of the the noise problem.