Without knowing the specifics personally (as in actually being there and seeing for myself), I think reviews are often a trade off between cost, value for money, and reality. We stayed in a Superhost place once, and the dishwasher, washing machine and *FRIDGE* were broken!!!! The decor was okay, but garish to me. The bathroom was cleanish, but the soap was used and had hair on it, and there was no plug for the bath. I scrubbed the counters before we left and again, they were clean, but not super so. Amenities were so so.
BUT, it was in a great location in a popular tourist city, the host was very helpful and the price was reasonable. Personally, with the broken appliances and mediocre bathroom options, it was no Superhost level listing, but the combination of factors made it still a great place. It was basically clean as well (not to my standards but...).
It does sound like the place you stayed in was not Superhost. I think broken major appliances (and I agree, no hot water is pretty far below standards) and ants would knock a place out of Superhost regardless of price and location.