The cottage hosted by Jessica & Scott just might be the most charming place my wife and I have ever stayed with Airbnb. My wife and I really enjoyed our stay. It’s a bright, airy and spacious studio, stylishly decorated and very completely equipped. Thoughtful touches include both iPhone and Android chargers on both sides of the bed, a well-equipped kitchen, bright area rugs, comfortable furniture and a small desk. There are plenty of dishes, glasses and cookware. (The flatware looked like silver plate to me. In any case it was far above the standard one expects in a rental.) It’s easy to see why this place gets five-star ratings from just about everyone who stays there.
A word about the neighborhood. Lawton Avenue is a very pleasant street, filled with early 20th-century homes, in a gentrified neighborhood. But Oakland is Oakland. Many of the stores a five-minute walk away on College Ave. have signs that say “Don feed the thieves; don’t leave anything of value in your car.” I was given that same advice by a friend who comes all the way from Santa Rosa three times a month for guitar lessons on Lawton. We saw a few homeless people up on College Ave and one right in front of the apartment who was peering into a car. The hosts have a narrow driveway and you are on your own for parking. We didn’t have an issue, but we checked in mid-afternoon and didn’t move there car after that. It occurred to me that finding on-street parking might be a challenge in the evening.