When booking anything online, it’s always a wait and see - I have walked into places that only then can I see where they swung from a chandelier to take a picture to make something much larger or better than the actual space or place.
This was not the case here - thankfully! It is as it looks in the pictures with maybe a throw pillow or blanket in a different spot.
We (my husband and his 10 and 12 year old children) spent a number of days during the Covid strict lockdown when restaurants in hotels had also been closed to give some context - so while we did order in a couple of times, our main outings were to grocery stores to stock up on items we could prepare and snack on. If you love to cook or are looking to have a spacious area to prepare and serve meals - the list is long of all the utensils, serving dishes, oven, stove with 5-6 burners, a microwave, dishwasher, instant boiling water, and on and on.
There’s a large and comfortable dining room table just off the kitchen cooking area to gather around if you are into formal Sit downs or you can pull a stool up to the bar/island (peninsula) of the kitchen...or just sit around the TV area and use the large ottoman with a large tray to avoid furniture spillage!
The TV hang out area was where we spent a lot of time lounging around and it was large enough for the 4 of us even with the Christmas Tree taking up a corner.
If you’re a fan of art and interesting things to look at, their collection of unique items and choices of color and fabrics are a feast for your eyes - if you’re into stark and minimalist this is probably not your kind of place - but for us, we really enjoyed it.
The two upstairs bedrooms besides the master) are quite small and I’m sure as time goes on and the little kid beds come out, larger beds will take their place — Claire was sweet enough to provide an air mattress for our son during our stay.
The downstairs bedroom has a comfortable bed, with a very low ceiling, so if you’re tall, just be aware of that.
The Master is very nice - we didn’t take advantage of the big tub inside the bedroom and we had intended to - even brought our own bath all’s - but we were a little concerned with how damp it was outside and then making it more damp inside so we decided to pass!
Stairs are steep and sort of feel a bit like ladders in a way so be aware of that as well - not a negative but you won’t be racing up and down the staircases in this home - take your time and watch your head (my husband is 6’5” So we are always kind of height aware!)
The lighting system in the house is on timers and censors so when you’re taking a shower upstairs - if the lights go dim or out - just slide the glass door of the shower open and the lights will pop back on (just a tip - our daughter went to blackout and we had to figure that out!)
We used the outdoor fire pit to make s’mores one of the nights and there’s a heating lamp outside to help cure the cold if needed be.
Several days we walked to the park which is just across the street - of course we were there while it was very rainy and cold, but it was nice to habe some free space just at the end of the block and across the street for some outside entertainment.
Parking was pretty easy- we always seemed to find a spot on the street close by if not infront and really easy loading and unloading into the apartment by driving up onto the sidewalk and parking to make life easy.
We highly recommend this as a great alternative to hotel life - and your hosts will be prompt and easy to reach during your stay if you need anything!