Pros: Redwood City is a lovely area and we enjoyed local things like iDumpling and visiting the big redwood tree Methuselah. Marianne is very friendly and hospitable. The bedroom is a very nice size and the bed is very comfortable. The place smelled really nice and the rooms were all very clean.
Cons: This listing felt a bit misleading and while Marianne seems incredibly nice we have stayed at enough air bnbs to expect that as guests we won't need to bother our host with a bunch of tiny but ultimately significant things. The reviews also didn't reflect some things I would have wanted to know prior to booking so I'm going to try and remedy that (for future guests) now!
The noise from above is loud and constant. You hear talking, laughing, walking, heck maybe even breathing! We were working remotely during our stay and the noise did make it difficult at times to concentrate. It's not a deal breaker but be warned it is no joke. You will also see the host in the backyard doing yard work etc so if you're hoping for privacy be prepared to constantly be closing windows and curtains.
A couple things that felt misleading from the listing: The A/C and heat is not controlled by the guest unit but by the upstairs host's unit. The bay/city view is from the street or the driveway. There is no view from the back of anything except the "garden" (which was dead/dry not being helped at all by recent water restrictions which she apologized for). It is not self check-in; Marianne will wait for you and then show you in and around and explain the locking etc. This isn't wrong/bad but just wasn't expected since the listing says "Self Check In". After driving for 6+ hours we really would have preferred to just check ourselves in too. The wifi is NOT strong and as we were working remotely that was a bit frustrating. We were able to muddle through but it is not fast wifi or a strong signal. Lastly the kitchenette area left much to be desired; random assortment of things felt much like stuff the host felt they just didn't need or felt they could spare like no real spoons or forks but dessert/salad utensils ie. small. We made it work but it was definitely a challenge.
I think if we had gone in with an accurate listing and managed expectations we wouldn't have been as frustrated and ultimately disappointed by our stay. And yes, we could have texted Marianne but the expectation we had when we booked our stay was that we would have our own little space that came with everything promised in the descriptions and we shouldn't have to ask our host to hold true to that - it should be a given. This could be a really lovely air bnb and if you're okay with what it actually is I recommend trying it out.