I stayed in Flat 53 Marlin Apartment for 5 weeks and so had enough time to appreciate the pros and "experience" the cons. I'll highlight them below to help anyone who's like me and wants reviews that give a bit of detail of what to expect, beyond just location. For those who don't want the long version, the summary is I'd recommend Helen & Jack's place. Overall, the Pros consoled me in spite of the Cons.
PROS:
- Jack and Helen were positively some of the most responsive hosts you'd ever meet. They are willing to help with everything and always strive to find a solution (all with a good attitude). They will always pick your calls/read your messages and are willing to go the extra mile (time & resources- wise) to attend to requests.
- The location is perfect. Central to everywhere, eateries, shops, views, tourist attractions, business hub etc everything is featured here. Getting around is really heavenly from this location.
- The living room is big and roomy living room, also bedroom. The kitchen is also sizeable - given the design. The touch of having a balcony is really a treat in terms of space and something different. It does face a we-work building but still a nice view and its good to have fresh air and "your own space”. TV has Netflix, Amazon Prime and others. It was nice to sit and have family movie nights.
- Heaters work well, so you'll be nice and warm (I stayed there when the weather was between - 1 and 10 degrees and it was just the right temperature, most times.
- The sofa bed (apparently recently changed, is very sizeable and my almost 6 feet tall son, enjoyed his nights there). The bed in the room was also very comfy, with great pillows.
- Huge Fridge and 3 compartment freezer was a blessing as we could stock up and cook or eat as we liked.
- We were so grateful for the washer/dryer!!! That was extremely useful for our 5-week stay. There's a dishwasher which we never used but it made for a very good place to dry all the crockery.
- The concierge service and having the nice warm lobby to come into was a plus and when we checked out, we had somewhere to sit for a while as we waited for our car to come pick us up.
CONS:
- Something needs to be done about the cleanliness of the flat. As a new guest, I had to spend a lot of time cleaning a lot of things that the cleaners obviously overlooked. I can be a bit of a germaphobe but I'm putting this as a con because this issue has been raised a number of times (I saw it in the reviews only after we'd moved in). It's not a deal-breaker as it's easily fixable but it did put a dent in our excitement about the place. So you may need to check everything before assuming it's "freshly" cleaned.
- Kitchen utensils truly are basic and need to be added to - we only had 2 forks, 2 pans that weren't non-stick, 1 large plate, 2 spoons (I guess the absence of a set of robust kitchen utensils was more noticeable at the time of the lockdown where we stayed in the apartment more often than usual). If you don't cook or you're just 2 people staying here, this may not be an issue.

- I love a good, big shower with really hot water. I didn't get this here. The good news is that Jack sent someone over who checked the hot water issue and fixed the thermostat (but even after this the water still wasn't as hot as I normally like so if you're a lover of really hot water and long showers...you may have less than a "perfect" experience in the shower). The showerhead is also positioned close to the wall and is not detachable which makes it really difficult to even rinse the bathtub after use or to get the water everywhere you'd like. There are also no shower curtains as it's one of those baths with a plastic that only covers halfway which means you will ALWAYS spill water on the bathroom floor while bathing. If you're sharing this bath with others, get ready to clean and mop every day.
For me, If these cons are looked into, nothing stops this place from being rated 6 stars out of 5 ;)