At a glance, Manuel's apartment is located just about 10 minutes from the likes of Little Tokyo and downtown LA. I chose to stay here in City Terrace which really had no drawbacks as to logistics: it felt as if it were in the middle of fantastic eateries to choose from while keeping downtown accessible.
The apartment was very easy to check into with the combination pad provided by Manuel. Note that you do have to climb stairs leading to the room for those of you who are looking for someplace else without stairs. This was not an issue for me, though. Parking was readily available outside of the apartment gates and I do have to mention that if you're coming home late, it is highly recommended that you take a rideshare instead to secure a parking spot. I got back to the apartment past 10 o'clock evening and hoped to find parking right away but there was none, which is very very typical of LA since parking spots get snatched very fast.
The inside of the apartment is exactly as advertised, very very clean with attention to details. The secret room was a nice cute closet designed to look like a hidden bookshelf. I loved the interior with brick walls and a desk with mirror. The inside had a mini ironing board and iron and hair dryer. The bed was very comfortable, air conditioning was mounted by the window, and a portable heater on the night desk by the bed. I was let down by the TV. Netflix was no longer able to run on it due to outdated specs (?) or app. The TV struggled to connect to channels and the remote was very universal-type and dated. I personally did not book this place for the amenities so I was not too hung up on the lackof media.
The kitchen had everything we needed except food. No water. It was bare bones. No expectations were had as it was not listed. I wished there were water available in the fridge or anything, really. Snacks
The bathroom was cute and clean, I especially loved the rain shower. Towels were available and neatly hung. Do know that there are no body wash or shampoo provided. Must bring your own.
Overall, I stayed for the night's rest, convenience of logistics, and was very impressed with the creativity in presentation of the apartment. The chalkboard wall reminded me of coffee shops with writings written by visitors and it was a pleasure to stay for the night. As I mentioned, come prepared with what you need (snacks/drinks/shampoo/etc) and maybe your own monitor/laptop if you wanted to watch movies. This place is perfect for getting around LA and I was not disappointed with what I booked it for. Manuel is also a very responsive Host if you ever needed anything. Check it out !!