I would start by saying that Helena sought to provide anything I needed during my stay, and I am thankful for that.

This was my first AirBnB experience. As a new user, I was unaware that bookings might not include amenities such as use of the kitchen. I understand now that this is a common occurrence.

I saw later, after arriving and discussing with Helena, that indeed the use of the kitchen was not included in the amenities. This was an oversight on my part.

However, I personally believe that it should have been and could have been made clearer in the written description for the booking. It was not apparent to me that I could not cook in the house and I would not have stayed if I knew that. Something along the lines of "No use of the stove, yet you can use the microwave to heat food up" would have been helpful. What did not make much sense to me was that I could use the microwave to cook eggs, which took longer and made more noise than making them all at once on a frying pan, but I could not use the stove even if I cleaned up after myself.

Even though this listing is marked as a private room, it is a shared residence with many other tenants. It seemed like I needed to tip-toe around the house as not to disturb anyone. The description in the listing says you need to be very quiet, and this became very apparent right from my arrival. It made me a little uncomfortable when accompanied with not being able to use the kitchen, because I felt as though all the tenants did not want me there. I do not feel like that is an appropriate environment for a stranger to be in, to be honest.

I also experienced an odd situation during my stay. I entered the kitchen at 6:30AM one day and there were four dead mice on the kitchen floor. I later thought it may have been the cat bringing them in, but at the time I became even more uncomfortable.

On the other hand, I did greatly enjoy the proximity to the Charles River (specifically since I was staying for the Head of the Charles rowing regatta, the Northeastern University Boathouse). The cost was relatively expensive (as a student), but I suppose reasonable when compared to hotels in the area on such short notice.