TL;DR An unattended, centrally located basement unit with cleanliness issues and a terrible mattress where the hosts pay little attention to their guests. Sub-par to poor experience. Families avoid. 2.5 stars
We stayed at the unit 04/29-05/03 for a business travel together with my wife and our 10mo son. The unit is very centrally located and that was very convenient for our trip. What became apparent upon check in is that the unit was not very well attended, judging from the cluttered entry which obviously the owners used as a storage space. Also we realized the unit is on basement level, something we suspected from the pictures but was clearly omitted from the description.
I truly wonder what other reviewers meant by "Sparkling Clean". Of course, having a baby raises the cleanliness standards beyond to those of the average backpacker, but some things cannot be overlooked. A dirty, stained and well worn couch and a stained carpet. Of course we had to constantly keep the baby away from these two. The hosts advertise the fresh paint, but it was anything but fresh as the walls were marked throughout the house. Also, a rust-stained towel hanger in the bathroom made as a little uncomfortable hanging our towels there. The cherry on top of that was an incident with a massive cockroach crawling on the bed. I know it can happen in the cleanest houses, but is the last thing you want to see when you are a guest.
Although there was minimal interaction with the hosts who live upstairs, we felt particularly unwelcomed. In previous Airbnb experiences, the host would leave a welcome message in the house, some personalized city guides, or little gestures that would make you feel being taken care. Instead, passive-aggressive notes were posted throughout for where to leave your shoes or make sure to turn-off the lights for the sake of "mother earth" . Beyond that, no extra set of towels (two sets for a group of three, yes the baby counts as a guest), linens, or blanket. Essentials when it comes to hospitality business. When we contacted the hosts about the cockroach incident and requested a replacement set of linens, not only they showed no empathy on the incident, they just left the new linens in a rolled-up bundle inside a pillow case on the couch. Does that sound welcoming to you or like a professional hosting experience? Finally, the bed featured a shaggy mattress with a bump on the left side piercing through your back making every day even more tiring.
On the pros, the unit is very well equipped with 3 A/C units, with well equipped kitchen that was useful when prepping baby means. It also featured a TV, laundry, and iron. The hosts did provide a crib for the baby, which was nice. Very conveniently located with Trader Joes and Whole Foods within walking distance in a very quiet central neighborhood. But none of these mattered given the rest of the experience. It started as an OK stay, and ended as a desperate need to return home.
When started reviewing I rated a 3 star, but by the time I finished and having recalled the entire trip I downgraded to 2. Being frequent travelers with 4-5 trips a year as well as hosts ourselves we have a very good sense of hospitality and this one certainly ranked very low. If I was a teen backpacker I probably wouldn't mind that much. But when you fail to deliver a clean place with a comfortable bed, what else is left? I strongly advise families with young kids to avoid this place.