I regret having chosen to stay in this apartment this week, and I strongly encourage people traveling for work to stay somewhere else. I splurged a bit thinking that a private apartment in a quiet neighborhood would allow me to focus and work on my PhD qualification exams. However, the apartment itself is very uncomfortable and cheaply furnished with low quality linens, a hard bed, and a couch that's comparable to sitting on a sack of billiard balls. With all the startlingly loud noise from overhead that began very early in the morning and didn't stop until late at night, I gave up on working and tried to distract myself by eating some cereal and watching TV... which amplified the frustration by going into buffering mode every few minutes. The only nearby coffee shop closes pretty early, which really limited alternative workspace options.
It seems painfully clear that the host hasn't stayed in this apartment, and is more concerned with what he can get out of it than with guests having a good experience. I wouldn't be so disappointed if I had paid less, but this place cost just as much as an apartment with a hottub that was, unfortunately, already booked. On the bright side, at least it gave me some good insights about what NOT to do in my own AirBnB.