Pros:
- Jackie was incredibly responsive, both prior to our arrival and during our stay.
- She also went above and beyond in her attempts to accommodate my requests before our arrival, as well as to offer thorough details pertaining to transportation, etc.
- The location was pretty good; the balcony offers a spectacular view of the CN tower, and it is a fairly quick walk to the train station.
- The place was quite clean, overall, and had many cooking essentials and condiments.
- Jackie was also very kind and seemed genuinely invested in trying to make our stay as comfortable as possible.
Cons:
- Unfortunately, there were several issues that arose during our stay, some of which I would have just disregarded, in favour of a more positive review, but they became too numerous over such a short time.
1) I had specifically inquired about a hair dryer shortly before our arrival and was assured that there was one in the unit. There was one, but it did not work, which was quite inconvenient. Apparently, there should have been two, but one went missing before our arrival, which the host seemed aware of (at least that was the impression I received based on a text she sent me). To be clear, this would not have been a big deal had some other issues not occurred, as well. Jackie was also great about swiftly replacing the item, as well, which I appreciated.
2) There was no shampoo in the suite, despite the ad suggesting there would be. There were several bottles of conditioner, though. Again, not a complete deal breaker, but another inconvenience, as well.
3) The bathtub would not plug properly, which made it more difficult to try and bathe my son, who is not a huge fan of showers. She seemed aware of this issue and tried to offer troubleshooting tips to remedy the problem via text, but neither my friend or I could get it to stay plugged.
4) There were no blackout curtains in the bedroom, so it got really bright in there quite early, which made it difficult to sleep in. Oddly enough, though, there were dark curtains in the living room but not in the bedroom?
5) Safety concerns: The curtain rod in the living room often seemed on the verge of collapse due to having too much weight placed on the middle without any support to keep it taut. The coffee table also had a loose leg that caused it to nearly fall on us while we were playing a game on it. I am relieved that we did not have any food or beverages on it. This would not have been a huge deal had the host not indicated that she was aware of this issue beforehand, which she communicated to me via text after I told her about the incident. She had said that the previous guests had a child who had caused some damage to some of the furniture, I believe, and that she had plans to replace some items in the near future. Although I wish that it would have been replaced beforehand or that we could have been notified that the leg was loose and to be more careful with the table, I appreciated that she was at least genuinely apologetic about this issue and was making efforts to replace the items.
Overall, I really wanted to love this place and to score Jackie 5 stars, mostly because of how impressed I was her swift communication and willingness to try and accommodate her guests' needs; however, the cons, unfortunately, outweighed the pros, and I was a bit disappointed, as a result. Things happen; this is the risk you take when you stay in someone's home rather than in a hotel, but the inconveniences and concerns started to add up rather quickly during our stay. That being said, I would consider staying here again in the future, mostly due to the location and due to Jackie's responsiveness and willingness to accommodate our requests, but only if some changes are made to ensure all advertised items are stocked and functioning properly and that some modifications are made to add to the guests' comfort, as well.