Our priorities when looking at all the many amazing airbnb options in Manhattan were to find somewhere with a comfortable bed, decent shower, wifi and a good location with a nice style. We had shortlisted a few and went with Elle because communications from her were efficient and pleasant from the beginning. We could not have been happier with our choice, which exceeded all our expectations.

We knew a bit about the West Village and knew we'd be happy to stay there but were still overwhelmed by what a fantastic area this apartment is in. Elle's place is surrounded by wonderful restaurants, cafes and delis and there are places of historic, cultural, artistic and film/television significance around every corner. We explored the area and much of the city on foot from this location but there are subways just minutes from the front door that will take you all over NYC.

The apartment is gorgeous, with lots of lovely artistic details and Elle and her friend Mila, who we met for the key handover, are fabulous hosts. Elle checked in with us a couple of times over the course of our stay to see how we were getting on and if we needed anything.

It's a studio apartment but much bigger and nicer than a hotel room would be. The bed is enormous (by our British standards anyway) and incredibly comfortable and Elle provides plenty of bed linen and blankets should you need them. The shower is super powerful and always had plenty of hot water. There are lots of lovely touches to make your stay as comfortable as possible: great toiletries, plenty of fluffy towels, a really efficient hairdryer, guidebooks and restaurant menus, a kettle and coffee maker and Elle has a selection of essential items in case you've forgotten your toothbrush etc.

I feel I should just mention for the benefit of other visitors unused to this system, that the steam powered heating in the apartment is regulated for the whole building and comes on at intervals throughout the day and night. It was fine for us, as we kept the windows open but when they were closed, it did get very hot. It was exceptionally cold outside when we stayed, so nice to be in a toasty warm apartment but it definitely felt counterintuitive to us to have the room overheated and the windows open, but we found this is the norm for New York and not specific to this apartment. I feel bad giving any remotely negative feedback for this wonderful place but it was something we weren't expecting, as it's so very different from what we're used to at home and it was our first visit to the city.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough for the location, comfort and wonderful host and would definitely stay here again.