Damaris' apartment in Hackney feels even bigger than it looks in the pictures here. The high ceilings and light are fantastic. Her bi-level outside deck came alive with flowers in May and is great for sunning, working outside and having drinks or dinner with friends. It includes a new-looking grill we didn't use. I spent many dozens of hours looking on AirBnB in many different London neighborhoods for the best combination of space, style, affordability and proximity to the west end and south bank for a stay of 3.5 months, and this was the single best value for us. The neighborhood is safe at all hours and has been thoroughly gentrified into a charming, hip, well-kept area, with a great local cafe (Parade) and great pizza (Lardo Bebe) around the corner, good neighborhood pubs and the amazing Arcola theater/scenester/hangout complex nearby. You feel like you're part of a real, interesting and historically significant neighborhood. We were concerned that the location would be too far from central London, but a walk of less than 10 minutes gets you to Hackney Downs. From there it's about 10 minutes to London Liverpool Station, from which the Circle, District or Hammersmith/Central lines get you to theaters, museums, etc. in 10 to 20 minutes; so 35 to 60 minutes to most places we spend time, door-to-door. Buses or train from Dalston Kingsland take about an hour most times. But even Kew Gardens are only about 75 minutes, door to door. The repurposed synagogue building itself is charming and well-maintained, situated in a private gated enclave behind other buildings. The apartment comprises the entire front portion of the second floor. Important: We extended our stay by one extra day at the end, and AirBnB's crazy algorithm overcharged us by over $900 for the night (It recalculated our fee for the entire stay and added it to our charge.). I spoke to them by phone and corresponded by email for days, only to be told that I'd agreed to the price (which was true, because I didn't look at it closely), and there was nothing they could do. So I contacted Damaris, and she refunded us the difference immediately; though she could have legally kept it. A couple of minor mishaps occurred during our stay -- I lost a key fob, and a window shade broke -- and Damaris responded graciously and promptly. Highly recommended.