Marni was a great host, very attentive and caring, even to offer us a discount as we had another host cancel on us at the last minute. Overall, our stay was nice and Marni was so thoughtful to provide a welcome basket with goodies and some bottled coffees for our stay. My younger sister loved the popcorn!
The interior of the place is beautiful, and exactly as portrayed. There were all the basics for cooking, and Marni even offered to reimburse us for the spices we bought, which I thought was kind to think of. As a fully functioning kitchen was our selling point, we were very appreciative to have things like a collander, spatulas, pots and pans, and a stove available to us. The oven was not working during our stay which we were informed after booking, but we tweaked our recipes and were perfectly happy with just the stove. We had two people in our reservation, so we tried using the futon as a second bed, although I have back problems so this may not be suitable for people who are sensitive sleepers or with back/neck issues. However, there were extra blankets and towels provided, and details like the power strips to charge phones, shampoos and conditioners etc were much appreciated!
While we were very happy with the interior, I felt somewhat misled by the listing in terms of location. As I was traveling with my younger sister who is from a smaller city, she was scared by the surrounding area (we arrived just after sunset so it was dark outside as well, which I don't think helped either). The neighborhood was described as Koreatown, but it seemed like, although on the cusp on Koreatown (within a few minutes driving we seemed to be in Koreatown), searching the address shows that it is in fact in Pico Union. While this may not be an issue to many travelers, this particular trip I was not comfortable bringing my sister to walk to get food after dark, which was confirmed by blogs I read about the surrounding area. And as the gate into the property was open/unlocked throughout our stay, I may not have chosen to bring a rental car here (I am not sure if I was able to close and lock the gate myself and I did not ask Marni about this, so this may have just been a miscommunication on my end).
Finally, I would mention that it is connected to other units, although the door is blocked off. I dont think this is a huge issue, but it wasnt clear to me from the listing as it was listed under Entire Units. As the walls were very thin and it is possible to hear other tenants even opening or closing their fridge, doing dishes etc, future renters may want to be aware before booking.
Overall, we were happy with our stay, and I think Marni is in the Top 3 best Airbnb hosts I've ever stayed with. Even when messaging late at night, we received quick and thoughtful responses. I can see Marni really cares about her guests and their experience, which means a lot coming from a host! And all points considered, I don't think any of these things were a big issue for us at all - I only wanted to make sure future guests have a good understanding of the post and the accommodation itself.
Thank you again for hosting us, Marni!