My husband and I stayed here for about 3 months. We decided to leave early (originally booked for 4 months), even though we lost out on 30 days of payment, because the apartment wasn’t conducive to our needs.
Pros of this place:
- Nice views
- Friendly concierge
- Good facilities (like the gym, garbage room, mailbox)
- AC was awesome on some of the hotter days
- Lots of supplies provided: cleaning supplies (vacuums, cleaning materials), toilet paper, coffee capsules
- Very fast internet
- Good cable and Netflix options
- Convenient location to downtown and the subway
- Cookware was provided
Cons:
- Cleaning Fee: Had to spend a chunk of time the first few days cleaning because there was animal hair, dust, and food crumbs on counters and in cabinets. Once the AC was running, there was even more animal hair blowing around. With the price of the cleaning fee and the length of time we had booked, I expected it to be better cleaned when we arrived
- Condition of unit: Seems that the place needs maintenance. Cabinet hinges were falling off (even when we got there, Julie explained this). Laminate flooring is peeling and will get on your feet when barefoot
- Bed: A bit small for two people and VERY squeaky. Any movement will be noisy. The pullout bed in the living room also has springs that poke into your back when you lay down (needs a new mattress)
- Area: Yaletown is nice, but there are TONS of ambulances going by at all hours of the day, which you still can hear with windows closed from the unit on the 36th floor. Lots of homeless people in the area. There was even a used syringe in the planter outside the main entrance of the building (where there is also a daycare center). During our stay, there was also a posted notice in the elevators about a break-in to storage units in the building’s garages.
- Size: The apartment feels quite small for two people. Not sure about the exact square footage, but it is small. Also, there is no table like there is in the photos (has been replaced with a desk), so there are only tiny coffee tables to eat at.
- Elevator: There are 3 elevators in the building, but very often, at least one is broken, and sometimes there are also people moving in/out of the building using one elevator. On several occasions, we had to wait 10 minutes or more just to get on an elevator.
- Building: During our stay, there were a few issues (unrelated to Julie, but frustrating nonetheless). First, the power for the building went out for several hours one evening, without an announcement or anything, so we had no idea what was going on or when we would get power. Another time, the water was turned off for most of one day, and when it came back on, it was dirty brown and the concierge had to help. Another evening, there was a possible gas leak in the building, requiring the whole building to evacuate, which meant we had to go down 36 flights of stairs in a rush.
My husband and I have stayed at many Airbnbs and hotels around the world, and we would go back to almost all of them, but we would not return here.