Our normal reviews are brief, but we’d like to go into more detail on the pros and cons of this house.
Pluses: Bright, spacious, blocks from the charming restaurants and shops on College Avenue in the Rockridge neighborhood, near BART, nice host, and an actual lived-in family home—not an investment property. Wi-Fi worked well. If you have kids, the fun back yard is great. How often does one come across a pirate ship, basketball hoop, rope swing, and slide—all set into a well-fenced backyard that allows mom and dad to sip wine at one of the outdoor tables while the kids tire themselves out before bed? Priceless.
Access: Be aware that getting in and out of the house will be a challenge for some. Stepping stones and planks leading up to the back entrance (which the hosts prefer) are tippy and need reinforcement. The front steps are steep, with a railing only halfway up. The bed in the main bedroom is unusually high.
Minuses: Really limited drawer and closet space for guest clothes, no kitchen bins for recycling, compost, and trash (we contacted host, who suggested we get paper bags). There were poor quality, worn towels, and the pots and pans were grungy. The back yard furniture could use a clean-up. A number of the light bulbs were burned out, so the upstairs hall was dark.
Keep in mind: Clearly stated in the listing is that there’s no dryer. We regret that we missed that, since the clothes rack in the bathtub takes patience when you’re traveling.
Quirks: We were surprised that the hosts left us numbers for various contractors and friends to call if anything went wrong, rather than a single designated point of contact while they were traveling. Also, the walls of the second floor are almost entirely filled with hundreds of family selfie travel photos. It’s their house and we admire their wonderful family trips, but all of us found it a little strong.
We are not happy to be so critical, but we hope that these comments will have some effect in motivating the host to make some needed changes and updates that they haven’t noticed for a while.