My stay in John’s home was ok, but not as nice I expected. I got a room that was similar to the pictures; not exactly what was represented. In general, the house seemed very old and needed some renovation.
To start with the good: John’s home is in Georgetown, so I was within walking distance of everything I needed. There are plenty of good restaurants, cafes, and shops nearby. My main excursion was on Embassy Row, which was about a 30 minute walk. There are also two (free) Circulator busses which stop near John’s apartment and are ready to take you to the major destinations in DC. Also, John is extremely knowledgeable about the city and the area surrounding his apartment.
Unfortunately, not everything was good about my stay with John. First, all of the floors creak with each step, and the stairs are loud. Also the walls are thin, so you will hear John or his other guest talking or walking around on the loud floors. Further, The bed was quite small. I’m about 193cm (6’3”) and my feet were hanging off the bed. I can’t imagine trying to fit a second person in that bed with me! Thus, I would only recommend this room to a single person and not to a couple. Also, the room seemed somewhat hot and stuffy; the blinds didn’t help, and the AC was weak.
He was quite pushy about knowing what time I would be at his house, even though he said I could let myself in with a door code. Also, he told me “An Uber is $53+ from the airport to my house, and public subway is $12 ...” Except, the subway from the airport (DCA) is closed until September and the Uber I called from the airport was $13. Next, he failed to mention the kitchen in my house tour, which I found by accident upon my departure. This would have been nice to know about.
I let him know about some of these concerns before my trip ended. He was nice enough about it at the time, however, when I left he called and told me that I had stained part of his white sheets blue (?). Of course, I didn’t spill anything in his bed, and I think he is just trying his best to claim my security deposit since a bad review will damage his home’s reputation. I would have noticed a stain while making the bed this morning. Further, I didn’t eat or drink anything in the room, so there was nothing to spill.
If you are travelling alone and on a budget, then consider this place. As long as you don’t mind a worn down home, a slightly nosy host, and a small bed, you’ll be fine.