Christine's listing is a genuine Soho home. She's lived there since the 80s, and the authenticity definitely shows through the character and quirkiness of the space. If you want an authentic local experience, this is it. I was also incredibly impressed that the space was 'East Asian-level clean', even all the usually-forgotten nooks and crannies behind pipes or on the baseboard. This is a shoes-off home :)
Christine a consummate host, and it was clear to me that she has considered the guest's experience. I was greeted with tea and chocolates, enjoyed a couple chats over more tea with her, and was immediately supplied with an extra heater when she noticed that I was chilly in the room. She was easygoing about my comings and goings, and there was no dreaded 'chore list' to complete by checkout.
A few things to note about the listing: it's a single bed, perfect for someone small, but definitely too crowded for 2 or even for a larger single person (I'm 5'4" and pretty small-sized). The apartment is veeeery old, which means a few things:
- It's drafty. That's just how they were built back then. Christine was accommodating as far as keeping warm
- you'll be hand-carrying your baggage up 1 flight of skinny stairs
- the hot water in the shower intermittently came on and off for me... Christine said it's another quirk of the old building, and just to wait a few minutes for the water to get hot again. In the sharp chill of October and with very little body fat, waiting in the shower/tub was quite unpleasant lol! Imagine a shivering chihwahwa