My family (wife, 4 year old daughter, and 1.5 year old son) had the opportunity to stay in Mel's apartment for 3 months (May-Aug 2013). We had a wonderful stay. The apartment was clean and as seen in the pictures. The location was fabulous! Local restaurant The King's Wark had excellent food and local pub Malt and Hops had a great selection of real ales. The Shore is a beautiful area with easy access to the center of Edinburgh via public transportation. The kitchen is fully equipped to be able to cook meals at the apartment (which we did the entire stay). We did not have any problems during our stay and did not have to contact Mel for any reason. However, she did check in on us periodically to ensure we were enjoying our stay. She also had a cot available on our arrival for our son which was considerably thoughtful as we did not ask for this. Our floor was quiet as most of the neighbors are permanent residents. We were very comfortable and will definitely stay here again should we return to Edinburgh. We also loved seeing the fireworks above the castle each night of the Edinburgh Festival. If you enjoy riding bikes (or walking as we did a lot), the Water of Leith Walkway is nearby. We would often take this trail into the city and enjoyed being away from the hustle of being in the big city. We were a couple of blocks away from Leith Links that has awesome green spaces as well as a nice playground. We frequented Leith Links often. ;) I can't say enough great things about the host, the apartment, and the area!