The Location- The space is 5 stars. It's in a small complex and the neighbors are amazing and quiet. They have a nice outdoor space that is for shared use with patio furniture and a small garden that can be used by all. The laundry room is only shared with the other 5 units and I've never had to wait to use a washer or dryer during my 6-month stay. Also, safety is 5 stars. It is next to a high school. You can run, walk, talk to neighbors around the area and feel safe.
In addition to the location, if you drive you are near 2 of the major highways and there is a gated parking space. I didnt have a car, but I brought my bike. There are 3 major options to getting places. You can use the expo trail to go from downtown LA to Santa Monica. You can take Venice Blvd (2 streets over) to get to Venice beach and the Ballona Creek Trail which takes you to Marina del Ray and over to other beaches. It's a bikeable area and I felt like people respected me on my bike. There are lots of buses and the Metro is about a 12-minute walk. Also, there are metro bike rentals 5 minutes from the house. I survived LA with my bike and the metro/bus pass.
My roommate and I were able to walk to Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Vons. It's about a 15-minute walk but the roads were safe. Due to the pandemic, LA (every corner) is filled with less fortunate people, but they weren't a bother and I always waved and felt safe. Downtown Culver City is super close by with lots of restaurants. Of course with covid restrictions, things have been limited but it's nice to walk to pick up food if you didn't want to spend the extra on Uber Eats/Postmates
If you stay here, I highly recommend Jenga (Caribbean food), Undergrind Cafe, Honey Kettle (really good fried chicken), Sage (vegetarian restaurant and brewery), and Cava (healthy food). All are 12 minutes walking and Sage is about a 40-minute walk but worth it!
Okay, the house!- it's perfect. 2 big bedrooms (about the same size). 2 bathrooms. One is ensuite. One is in the hallway. The hallway one has a full tub. Both closets are spacious. We brought some hangers from Target to accommodate our things. There were a few given but we just got some extra. The kitchen has everything described. There is a target about 1.5 miles away if you need to grab anything. We brought a blender and were gifted an air fryer but that is all we needed.
The sitting areas are amazing and spacious. You have a full dining room table, a huge comfy couch, and a chair that can host visitors if you need it. Also outside we had a balcony and it had to sit that we used as well. The sliding door to the balcony provides a lot of light. For the most part, you can leave the door open and because of the cool temp, there arent many flies that come in. The place stays cool and the heat works whenever you need it. For the winter months, there are extra blankets and we usually turn the heat on for 30 minutes and we were sorted for the evening.
I work remotely using zoom and we stream all our shows. The Internet has been good. We brought a Chromecast to play things from our ipads with our own accounts for Netflix, Hulu, etc. But the TV in the apartment has that embedded, we just don't use it. There is one desk, so if there are two people who need a desk, maybe figuring out a way around it. Most times, my roommate and I work at the living room table.
The host- Mike is an amazing host who will help out with anything you need. He's responsive and knows California really well. He gave us lots of tips for exploring the area. We were here during a heatwave, and Mike surprised us with a portable AC. TBH, unless another heatwave hits, you really don't need it. Also, his good friend Alex will check you in, and is available if you need anything. He works down the street and has been great on the grounds person. They are a good team if you need anything.
Being here during COVID would have been worse if we weren't staying here. It safe comfy, peaceful, and spacious since most of your time will be in the house.