We had a great stay at Alexander's place and would definitely stay again on future trips to Oslo.
He was generous enough to leave us a welcome gift and the place was in great shape when we arrived.
It definitely appears that Alexander lives here, at least part-time, as there are clothes in cupboards, shoes and coats on the rack, food in the freezer, toiletries in the bathroom etc.
This was by no means an issue for us, but I thought it was worth calling out as it does feel very much like you're staying in someone's home. The style of the apartment is very bachelor pad, with quite a few scantily-clad women in photos that I would suggest probably aren't appropriate if you have kids with you.
A few specific things to call out:
PROS
- Extremely dark in the bedroom for sleeping
- Comfortable bed and bedding
- Relatively quiet (only a little street noise)
- Good remote working setup with comfy barstools at the kitchen island
- Proximity to train station, water and barcode district
- Ease of checkin/checkout - would just flag that Alexander does need to open the lockbox for you real-time, so give yourself buffer when checking out so you don't have to make a mad dash for the station if it takes Alexander a few minutes to open it.
- Alexander was extremely responsive both during booking and during our stay
- Unit feels safe and secure
- Strong wifi (68Mbps download, 60Mbps upload)
CONS
- Couldn't find an iron but have flagged this with Alexander directly
- No hairdryer but have suggested Alexander get one
- We weren't able to find any dish soap, but again, we have mentioned this to Alexander for future guests
- The center courtyard has a playground so screaming kids echo about if you have the door open or sit on the balcony
- It's a bit of a shock to the system when walking out the apartment building to people hanging around smoking outside bars. I'd say it's probably not the loveliest part of Oslo, but it is incredibly convenient. I would suggest people, especially those traveling solo, just keep their wits about them when close to the apartment late at night.