Christian was a host who communicated well and thoroughly, and very promptly.
I'd read in previous reviews about the steep steps to the apartment, but didn't anticipate a problem with them. You enter the locked door, and step in, and there are the steps below you. The risers are very high, and the horizontal surfaces are very narrow. There are no stair rails on the sides. I don't know if it would be possible to go down those stairs with a normal posture, but I threw my bag downstairs, and climbed down sideways, clutching the sides, in what I can only describe as a very embarrassing process. Going up them was only minimally easier.
I am cursed with a very good sense of smell. The cleaner was finishing up as I entered, and she had used a lot of cleaning products that left a powerful smell. I didn't think I could sleep in that, so I bought a can of Fabreze to dampen the smell. It didn't help at all. The smell was far less powerful when I returned a few hours later, but in addition to that smell, there was also a very musty odor. There was an air conditioner and a dehumidifier going, presumably to lessen the smell. The two machines were very noisy, but I didn't want to turn them off. To sleep, I shut the barn door between the bedroom and the room with the machines, and that helped. The only windows were very small, and up near sidewalk level. They didn't appear to have screens in them, so I didn't want to open them to air out the space and invite bugs in.
The apartment was much larger than I'd expected. In addition to the bedroom and bathroom, there was a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen.