We had a perfect stay at Rafik's place. Rafik is a great host with super communication. He sent us through information about the apartment and the neighbourhood straight after booking. He was really pleasant and welcoming, checking whether we had any questions. If I sent a message he would reply within minutes - very impressive! The check in process was really simple and all the instructions about how to get to the apartment, how to check in, the details of the apartment and how to find our way around were really straightforward.
The apartment itself was lovely. Really spacious (even bigger than it looks in the photos). It's nice as the bedrooms are at either end of the apartment which gives you plenty of privacy if travelling in a group. It was really clean and super high-tech, with every appliance you could possibly need and then some. It's great getting Alexa to turn off all the lights via voice control when you've had a long day sightseeing. :-)
The location was great. Quiet, safe but within easy reach of all the sights by subway. We really enjoyed being able to stay in a local neighbourhood, rather than in a hotel. The area has lots going on in terms of restaurants and bars. We ate in a few of the places Rafik recommended and not only was the food great but the people were really friendly and welcoming. What made it even better is having a guilt-free stay without worrying about the negative impact of tourism because Rafik is a responsible host who cares about his neighbours. His neighbours seem like lovely people - we were out the front waiting for a taxi to the airport and they checked that we were OK and weren't locked out or anything.
I was really pleased I booked Rafik's place and would happily stay here again if we return to New York. Thanks again for a great stay!