I hope my review and 3-star rating are only a temporary condition and others will find the flat living up to its potential. The host was mostly very communicative, the flat is in an amazing location and generally looks like the photos. However, as I write this review, the description in the posting says "maintenance works in the building may happen." This is a gross understatement of what is actually happening. The public areas of the building are under complete renovation. During our stay from May 31st to June 2nd, these were the conditions that we found:
The exterior of the building, outside all the windows, is completely covered in scaffolding and windows could not be opened because of the dust produced by the masonry work underway. In addition the scaffolding gave easy access to the unit. The entry hall from the street and main access stairhall had been stripped of all the finish plaster, down to the base coat and exposed timber construction. As a consequence, the lighting in the halls was temporary and inadequate. At some landings, we required our flashlights on our phones to walk safely. Also, because of the construction, the air-conditioning was not working. Our hosts had provided a single portable unit for the main room and fans for the bedrooms. These helped, but the unit was a little warm and we could not take advantage of fresh air because of the scaffolding and dust mentioned above precluded us from using the windows. As we get into the heat of the summer this will certainly become a bigger issue. Within the unit, both bedrooms had temporary supports installed for work being undertaken on the floor above. Finally, we were there during the week and construction began at 8 am. Hammer drills and/or chipping hammers on the floor above woke us all up. We were told of the supports in the bedrooms and aircondtioning two day before our arrival. However, none of the other conditioins we found were disclosed to us. We did recieve a 15% refund on the two nights because of the condtions - I had hoped for more.
Of course construction is a fluid process and we may have been there during the most impactful time. However, I would sugget to anyone that is thinking of booking this flat to contact the host in advance and get a complete assesement of the conditions before booking. When the work is complete, it will be a great place to stay.