The hosts for the Urban Sands Vantaggio location were very communicative and clear with their instructions. They offered a lot of help and were very open to feedback. However, here are some things I disliked about the place:
- CLEANLINESS
The towels and pillow covers had small stains on them and were noticeable upon first glance. For whatever reason, there was also a lot of feathers in the loft, which I assume were from the pillows.
- APPEARANCE
Everything pictured in the listing was pretty accurate, however the pictures do look better than the actual place. It is in an older building so there are several small holes in the floors and walls. This wasn't a super big let down but definitely something to keep in mind. The couch was also not very comfortable.
-AMENITIES
The hot water in the shower takes a long time to warm up and isn't even "hot". The shower is also very small but is sufficient for someone who doesn't mind that. At the time of my stay, the shared kitchen had an oven that didn't work, which actually prohibited me from baking a pizza I had bought for dinner one night. This was not specified upon arrival and was disappointing.
-PRICE
I can't be too critical of the price because I am not familiar with the Airbnb market in downtown areas, but I don't think this place is worth the nightly rate, at least based on my willingness to pay. The cleaning fees are also a bit unfair because the hosts will still ask you to take out the trash in the room before checking out. I don't know about you but if I'm paying for cleaning fees, I shouldn't have to do this. Lastly, the amenities and aesthetic isn't worth the price. The biggest upside to this price is that it is in the downtown area.
-LOCATION
The location of this place was perhaps the best part. It was only about 10 minutes away from Grocery Outlet (a place I normally buy groceries), 25 minutes away from Little Italy and 15 minutes away from the Santa Fe Depot train station, which is how I got to and from the Airbnb. Despite this, the Vantaggio suites are in an area of downtown that seems to have a very high homeless population. This doesn't necessarily affect the quality of the place itself, but it is something to be mindful of if this type of area would make you feel unsafe.
-OVERALL
I would rate this a solid 3.7/5 stars. I would only recommend staying here if you want one of the "cheaper" downtown Airbnbs while also being close to a lot of the main attractions in downtown. Don't stay here if you plan on cooking a lot as it may be an inconvenience to have to leave your room frequently to make food. Lastly, be mindful of how much space you prefer. This is a small spot and probably wouldn't be the best option if you plan on having friends or family over, even if they aren't staying the night. Nonetheless the hosts were amazing and were very willing to help with any issues.