I stayed here for nearly a week on a personal writing retreat. My goal was hole up and finish the first draft of my novel, and staying in a quiet neighborhood was a must. Nic's place was a wonderful choice for several reasons. First and foremost, he was such a friendly host. He checked in on me, but didn't bother me. He dropped treats outside my door every morning which he called, "fuel for fiction." He went out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed.
Secondly, the location is perfect. If you want to just hole up, easy. If you want to take a pleasant walk around a quiet neighborhood? Done. Want to get a pint at the local neighborhood bar? It's about fifty feet away, and all the bartenders know Nic. They even gave me a few on the house, and were great to talk to. If you want to get out even further, the train is not that far away. I used it to go downtown a couple times.
Thirdly, the property itself was comfortable and private. I never felt intruded on, and had all the peace and quiet I could want as someone struggling to eek out those last few words.
Some minor drawbacks: The wifi was at times a little slow. This didn't bother me much, because I rarely used it. Nic has a couple dogs that are very friendly, but the type that alert, so often they would bark at me as I left or entered the residence. Not a huge deal, and they were never aggressive. Eventually they actually stopped barking, once they got to know me a bit better.
All in all, couldn't have had a better time, and so glad for Nic. The fridge with free beer didn't hurt either! :)