Absolutely beautiful apartment in an unbelievably perfect location for exploring the Rocks and CBD. My husband, uni student daughter, and I stayed for a week and all of us agreed that the place is the perfect cross between elegant simplicity and homey comfort. Jan was quick and kind in her responses to my inquiries.
You enter on the floor with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a lounge area, then walk down a regular flight of stairs (17 steps) to the lower level with the kitchen, dining area, living room, and toilet/laundry room. Although small in terms of square meters, it actually felt quite spacious. The lower level opens out into a courtyard, with glass door and large window in the living area, so it doesn't feel dark. We loved hanging out down here--the open layout meant that we could be cooking/sitting in the living room/working at the dining table, and all still feel together and have easy communication.
Two small issues to consider, neither of which is the fault of the host. First, the noise. This is an historic building, with all the charm, and with the expected lack of insulation. Passers-by on the street outside sound like they are right in the front bedroom, even if they are talking in normal tones of voice. We're not people who are bothered by noise, so while this was startling the first few times it happened, it didn't really bother us. That said, the noise always does seem to be *passing* noise--we didn't notice people lingering, and after about 10:30pm, we didn't really notice anything at all--the street is surprisingly quiet at night, given that it is the heart of the historic/tourist area.
Second issue: we saw several large roaches. Again, in an old historic building in the middle of a city, we were not entirely surprised to find bugs. The place was very clean, so we chalked this up to the old building/urban environment. We called Jan, who came the next day to spray (thoughtfully coordinating her timing for when we would be out), and after that, we spotted only dead ones.
So I would say: if you're not super noise-sensitive, and if the idea of a bug or two doesn't bother you, book this place now: the ambiance, location, and attentive host make it a lovely holiday spot!