So, at this point, my family and I have stayed at Airbnb type apartment rentals since 2001. This place ranks within our top 3. Why?
FIRST, it is a stunning, old, apartment. The furniture and fixtures are top notch, no Ikea stuff here! It has everything - washer/dryer, stove, large fridge, great shower and (importantly) a fan for warm days. The bedding is super-comfortable, there are plenty of plates, cutlery and pans to cook and eat at home. I do not use non-stick cookware but I was easily able to make dinner with the utensils that Hyesook left for me. Zurich is not a cheap city, so you are better-off making dinner at home. Note, the apartment is on the 5th floor (US), so it is not suitable for small children or people with mobility issues. My 11 year old did just fine as did we.
SECOND, the location! We could walk out from the central train station to the apartment in less than 7 minutes. We never needed to take cabs anywhere and trust me, this saves money in an insanely expensive city like Zurich. We took our flight out of Zurich by walking to the Hbf and taking a train to the Flughofen (airport). Trains run literally every 5 minutes, we bought tickets the previous day. The Landesmuseum is very close by and you should spend an afternoon there. The walking around the area cannot be beat, you can walk along the Limmat River and enjoy the sights.
THIRD, There are plenty of grocery stores near by - Coop and Aldi. We cooked dinner at home by assembling ingredients from various stores. Globus is an upscale department store with interesting offerings in its basement. We also went to the basement of the train station which has a fabulous food court with ethnic offerings - Italian, Middle-eastern, Nepalese, Persian, etc.
FOURTH, the welcome was warm. Hyesook manages this place very well, they even had US adapters, which was a lifesaver because our regular adapters didn't work in this apartment. Her daughter was there to welcome us and came over right away when the TV did not behave.
I would not hesitate to stay here again if I was passing through Zurich. Yes, you can hear the trains if you open the windows, but some clever management around which windows you open does the trick to minimize noise. Besides, it is quiet after 11. The area is safe, there is a "project" near by, I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe.
FYI, we live in NYC, so we know apartment living well.
Thank you, Hyesook, and please thank your daughter for us! She's adorable and my 11 year old daughter thought she was so cool!