Jason was a wonderful host and I debated how to review this rental, because I felt bad giving a poor review to a very nice person. However, I also feel like honest reviews are important to potential guests, so here we are.
THE GOOD
+ The garden-level apartment was sparkling clean and everything was new.
+ Jason was very accommodating and a great communicator.
+ It was only a few minutes walk from the West Oakland BART station.
THE SO-SO
~ The walk from the train station to the apartment is sort of sketchy. The price of the place kind of reflects that.
~ The walls are completely bare, so there's no homey feeling to it. That's reflected in the photos, so it's no surprise; I only include it because a good-sized print or painting would be $15 at a garage sale and would make a big difference in the feel. Absolutely not a big deal though.
~ The heater is nice. It would also be nice to have a fan to circulate cooler air, but not a big deal.
THE BAD
- The bed. The bed. The bed. The mattress was saggy in the middle, so I ended up rolling into my boyfriend and getting a horrible back ache. The springs are also kind of loose, so every toss or turn set the bed a-jiggle. After hours of fitful sleep where I woke up and clawed my way back to my side of the bed, I went over to the couch to try my luck there.
- The couch. Unfortunately, the couch has a metal divider under the surface, so it was a lot like sleeping on an airport bench--it can be done, but it's far from a good sleep. There was no extra blanket, so I also ended up curling up under some towels. :) The coach wasn't comfortable for sitting either.
- The hot tub. The hot tub was dirty, with leaves and dirt clogging the drain. The water stank. The hot tub cover was filthy too, although that was understandable because the tub is located in a really nice little vine-shaded nook. Unfortunately, the tub wasn't hot, either. I don't like hot tubs to be super hot, but this felt like around 99 or 100 degrees, which just isn't warm enough to justify getting into.
TO SUM UP
The price is right, the location is okay, the host is great, the place itself is nice, but the bed is a dealbreaker for me. I wish that the hot tub had been in good condition, but the bed was the true problem. New mattress? I'd come back in a heartbeat.