Airbnb should allow more than 5 stars for hosts like Mary.
It's difficult to wrap up my whole experience in a few words, the best I've ever had on Airbnb, but I'll try.
First of all, she's a very kind and happy person living in a very nice place, as simple as that. I had had a terrible flight and an even more terrible night before I found her listing. I waited till 7 AM to book it and she got back immediately with some tips on hiw to get there -very easy BTW-.
So by mid-morning I was already in her kitchen enjoying a fresh lemon & ginger she kindly prepared for me.
Her house is located in a quiet residential area, walking distance from the hustle & bustle of über-cool Brixton station area.
The house is full of light, super clean and recently refurbished and the room was just perfect: warm and luminous, with a huge and super comfortable bed, a spacious wardrobe and USB power outlets.
She even indulged me with a comprehensive walk around the area, providing essential insights about the spots we visited. And there's more: she even offered me her Tate's member card which gave me free access to an astonishing Modigliani collection.
Again: great host, with the perfect and always difficult balance between kindness and reservation, and a nice place just as the pictures show.
Brixton is THE place to be if you are interested in London's diversity: an enormous array of street food, restaurants, bars, clubs and music venues to choose from and also a pivotal location to explore soon-to-become hipster areas: Peckham and Tooting.
I will definitely come back there, and of course, to Mary's place.