The place is beautiful and spacious, with lovely views of the east Hollywood hills. I appreciate the on-site laundry and the fact that the kitchen was well-equipped. Spacious bathrooms and working AC. The TV needs a Google Cast set-up.
Rafi is a friendly host. My only serious complaint was the wifi, which is actually shared with another unit and had numerous connectivity issues. I wish that were more clear in the listing. I tried troubleshooting and went four days having to hot spot from my phone, with no real solution offered by the host. Just lots of screenshots showing that the connection from AT&T to the modem were usually good (and often not, from my own speed tests), but speed tests also don’t show the individual connectivity to this modem and its adapter.
After a few days, I received a new adapter and the downstairs unit received a new modem, which didn’t help and I was told to disconnect all devices, less my laptop and sit next to the wifi adapter, which was inconvenient and also didn’t help. For the last several days of our stay, we had to purchase a portable router so that I could do the work which was delayed, and my partner rented a hotel room so he could have reliable wifi for a broadcast. For $5k, we need wifi.
We ended up leaving early, in part because our new place was ready, but also because the wifi issues were crippling and not properly addressed. This was certainly an expensive stay, but would have been worth it if the wifi worked. The host stated this wasn’t an issue in the past, which I believe, but it caused serious issues with my work situation and some kind of refund and adequate apology would have been appreciated. I couldn’t work.
It's also worth noting that the neighborhood is a bit worse for wear, these days. It’s near the highways, but also close to a large homeless encampment; one person slept on a mattress near the driveway, and several visitsed the little alleyway near the living room. I didn't feel particularly unsafe, but it’s a bit jarring to see a random person hanging out near the living room window or poking around tenant vehicles and garbage.
Lots of light in the master, which is great for daytime but challenging in the morning.
If it weren’t for the wifi and communication surrounding the issues, the stay would be closer to 5-stars, despite the issues with the neighborhood. 4 is a bit of a stretch, but the house is very well designed in layout and the view counts for a lot.