We spent 7 weeks in Bronte’s terrifically situated flat in Paddington. It was bright and charming with comfortable beds, high-quality linens. She was always very quick to respond to any issues that arose in her personal home. Unfortunately, there were a fair few issues...many arising from the fact that the block of flats does not have good sound proofing. So, when the construction in the flat next door went on all day for WEEKS, the jackhammers, drills, saws, hammers made thinking, much less holding a conversation, nearly impossible. Then, there was the constant *drip drip drip* from the upstairs neighbour’s balcony (like a week-long session of Chinese water torture) and the over-sensitive and bit crabby downstairs neighbour who complains of wearing shoes inside and TV news programs. No one expects perfect quiet in an urban setting, but the cumulative effect of all these irritations was hard to take.
The flat is cozy. The bathroom a little too cozy. The kitchen is workable but certainly not a cooks kitchen. Two could eat perched on the kitchen stools, but more often we’d eat with plates in our laps. Luckily, Paddington is full of excellent eating out choices.
We were in Sydney not as tourists but to house-hunt. So, our experiences were based on spending a lot more time in the flat that most visitors. That is to say, might not be typical. Yet, it was only because we stayed so long, and it would be a huge inconvenience to move, that we put up with annoyances like those discussed above and the fact that we spent 2 entire days without electricity. Bronte tried to address this problem quickly and to make compensating offers (like adding on 2 extra days to the trip free of charge) but this is not the sort of thing you expect to happen in a not in-expensive stay.