Overall, we had a great time staying at Carlos' place. He was very welcoming and even took us to the supermarket on our first night.
The location of the apartment is very good, considering the price. We never felt unsafe in the neighborhood and the connection to downtown Manhatten is good, too (there are several subway services and it takes about 30 min to get to central Manhatten).
The apartment was indeed clean and very spacious. Carlos didn't mind that we used the kitchen for breakfast and sometimes dinner.
If we ever return to New York, we would probably stay here again,