We stayed in the apartment from Barth and Katlijn for 12 nights, so we are giving our review from a long term stay perspective:
Pros:
- Very good location, the apartment is just in front of a plaza with a number of terraces and food of every kind you might think of. There is also everything you need around the corner, supermarkets, bakeries, etc. It is very close to the city center, perhaps 20-25 mins walk to the heart of the city or 10 mins by bike. Rusafa, a very trendy hipster neighborhood with nice restaurants and bars, is also about the same distance.
- The beds were comfy and in general the apartment is very nice. We like to cook our meals especially during long-term stays, this place has everything you need for that.
- My gf enjoyed the terrace for her morning yoga sessions.
- The shower is spacious and generous, very enjoyable.
- Good air conditioning
- Good wifi (for video calls too)
Cons:
- Even Though having those restaurants and terraces in front of the apartment was sometimes nice, some other times it was hideous. It's noisy late at night and early in the morning, so sleeping was problematic for us. Not a problem if you stay for a short time and want to party too.
- The beach is a bit far, at least the nice beaches like Patacona. You can get there by bike in maybe 40 mins, or by cab in 20 mins. We didn't try public transport, but according to google, it was about 45 mins by bus.
- The terrace was nice to have, but it was dirty. I guess it is not easy to keep it clean when you live in the middle of a number of high buildings.
- There were no basic things for cooking, like cooking oil, salt and pepper, etc. The host mentioned people take them when they leave. But to me that is irrelevant, especially given the tariff they charge.
- Also as we were staying for a long term we needed stuff to clean the place, so we had to buy it ourselves i.e. kitchen cleaning clothes, hand soap, dish washer soap, additional toilet paper, etc.
- The quality of the towels can be improved.