Olena's place is an amazing, excellent find for short-term stay in the area. Here are some examples of my positive experience:
+ contactless and easy check-in and check-out (much appreciated during the pandemic)
+ a plate of tea, some candies, etc. waiting for me in my room when I checked in
+ Carla (who works for Olena) brought us a bowl of fruits and sweets to share at least once during my stay
+ quiet neighborhood, excellent location
+ nice, respectful guests (I've only met one other guest at Olena's place; we tended to keep to ourselves)
+ really easy to communicate with Olena via Airbnb messaging
There were only a few things that didn't work out so well (but still didn't take much away from my overall positive experience):
- it's a 3rd floor walk-up. (Olena was very clear and mindful about that when I first inquired about her place. She made sure that I was okay with that when I booked.) So if you're not able to climb the stairs, this might not be the place for you.
- Around Halloween, a neighbor on the street (might be the house nextdoor) had really loud parties until 1am. But it was just that one time.
- I didn't really know who the other guests were and wasn't sure how to communicate with them or if I should communicate with them, given the pandemic situation (I ended up wearing a mask whenever I was in the common area). I know they were also short-term stays of > 1 month. The one other guest I've met in the common area was really nice. I think Olena was working on something to help us communicate more directly when I was about to leave. So this might be a non-issue going forward.
Overall, I thought that I was incredibly fortunate to have found this place. Thank you Olena! ^^