Mike was a fantastic host and this place is in a great location. It is right nearby the scenic Regent's Canal, it is also 15" walking distance from Dalston and Shoreditch. It is also by Kingsland Rd which has many buses, a Barclay's bike rack is nearby as well. Mike was gracious and friendly, he helped us with some things we needed to do on the computer and helped with getting a car service, we shared some whisky and chatted, we are very sociable and that was fine with him. The bed in the room is very very comfy and we were greeted with a stack of towels with a friendly bow on them. There is a small back patio which is nice for some air or to smoke a cigarette. In the bedroom there is a closet, desk, power strips, and a flat screen tv / dvd player on the wall. There is some auto traffic outside the window but nothing too disturbing (no buses, garbage trucks, noisy people), I would definitely stay here again and also recommend it to others. We did not get to meet Maria as she was out of town.