We were really excited to visit RiNo—we wouldn’t say this location is walking distance to the breweries and restaurants. Technically it is not far, but the walk would be far less than scenic and downright intimidating for some. We’re from a huge city and understand urban living, but not everyone would be comfortable walking through housing projects so I share it here for anyone for whom this would be a consideration.
The info provided by the hosts ahead of check-in is great. Parking really was easy. Entrance through the alley isn’t as strange as it sounds and was super easy with the keypads. The outdoor seating area is very small and is squeezed between the fence at the alley and the apartment/guest house. The apartment itself is much smaller than it looks in the photos but is absolutely a good size for a couple. We wouldn’t recommend using the sofa bed for a guest as it is pretty beat up, not comfortable and located underneath a wall shelf stacked with books but sagging with screws pulling out of the wall (maybe missing anchors?). When the sofa bed is pulled out the coffee table can fit under it to make a small path to the front door. Though we included 3 guests in our reservation, the sofa bed did not have sheets. They were easy to find per the hosts’ instructions—it just would have been a nice gesture to consider that third guest ahead of time.
Overall cleanliness looked ok until you’ve been in the space for a few minutes. All vents were caked with dust and the portable A/C had either dust or mildew or both. There was a faint mildew smell but not overpowering. There was a pubic hair on the portable unit, long hair stuck on the bathroom vent, cobwebs along the area where the wall meets the ceiling…it just needs a really good cleaning.
The blinds covering the one window have a hole cut out of them (maybe for a previous portable A/C vent) and the blinds couldn’t close because of the portable A/C vent. This might be ok for some but we weren’t comfortable being on a ground floor with a window that couldn’t lock or provide privacy. There is also a door in an open closet that leads to a laundry room. This door only locks from the laundry room side which means the apartment itself isn’t secured from the inside. There is a cute shag rug that adds a nice detail but has no rug pad or other method to secure it and we tripped on it a few times—we ended up pushing it under the bed so we could move more safely.
Another safety concern for us was the smoke detector. The battery was dead. We asked for it to be replaced and the hosts were very responsive. However, we had gone out for a few hours and when we returned the alarm was going off and announcing “fire”. We shouldn’t have had to make this request—safety equipment should be ready for the guests.
All of these things could have been overlooked. However, the temperature in the apartment was absolutely unbearable. While central air is not listed as an amenity, we had no expectation of it being 90F+ degrees in the space. We started the portable A/C and left for about 5 hours, hoping it would cool down because the space is not big. We gave the space the benefit of the doubt despite other observations. When we returned it was 89F degrees. When we inquired about the unbearable heat we were met with “sorry you missed the lack of A/C in the listing” and “this hasn’t been an issue for other guests”. It was definitely hot in Denver. And the host shared that their house was also hot. A host can’t be responsible for the heat outside but should absolutely take responsibility for the comfort of the interior. Perhaps if the portable unit had been turned on a day before our arrival it would have been a bit better. The host did allow us to check in 1.5 hours ahead of time which was considerate but we had to leave right away to seek a cooler spot. To note, we walked around Larimer St. and sat outdoors at a few establishments and were perfectly comfortable. It was hotter in the apartment than it was outdoors.
When we returned later in the evening to the alarm sounding and the interior heat not abating we determined that we had to seek accommodations elsewhere. We politely shared this with the hosts.
Perhaps this could have been handled with an additional portable A/C and a different smoke detector. If this was our side-business you can be certain that we would have taken direct action to make our guests comfortable and would have compensated them for the inconvenience. We would not have suggested that it was their fault for “missing” the lack of central air in the listing, nor would we have compared them to other guests suggesting that the sensitivity to the temperature was out of line. If our guests couldn’t stay safely and comfortably we would have refunded them completely. We asked for a partial refund the next day and were denied. Something to keep in mind when booking here is the cleaning fee of $50 is about 65% of the rental fee. This place is small—$50 is absurd.
The kitchen is cute. The little fridge is adorable. The ceiling light fixture in the kitchen is missing (an open hole with electrical box) and the ceiling light in the open space has light bulb that seems maybe like an industrial UV bulb that casts a dreary light.
This place could be a great unit with some better attention to detail. The listing should probably be adjusted to not exaggerate the walking proximity to the main RiNo area along Larimer St.
Overall we would not recommend this spot. We were as friendly as can be despite