TL;DR
Amazing location and nice host. Could be great as a “crash pad” for guests who might be out late. But noise was a big a problem for us. Definitely not recommended for those expecting a quiet place to rest, ability to control temperature, or anything but the basics.
Pros:
- Sara is a kind, communicative, and reponsive host.
- If you want to stay in Wicker Park, you can’t beat this amazing location.
Cons:
- Very thin walls and floors mean you can hear loud noise from adjacent spaces, night and day
- Apartment door does not close tightly / lock is inadequate
- No thermostat in the unit. Ceiling fans insufficient to cool the space on a hot summer day.
- Not hot water in shower, only luke warm, even after letting water run a long time.
- Host requires the use of a third-party platform for registration and you must take a selfie of you looking at your phone camera and holding your ID in frame. This is uploaded into the third-party platform and it’s not clear who operates that platform or what their policies are for privacy or data retention.
- Host requires you to coorinate in part via email instead of keeping all communications within the AirBnB platform as per AirBnB standards.
Our Experience:
- Unfortunately, we did not have a comfortable stay due primarily to ridiculously loud noise from a dance party in the space directly below us, which is not a residence but an event/function space. Even with earplugs in, we could not sleep as the heavy bass from DJ music was causing the floor and bed to vibrate. This went until after 2am.
- The passing El train outside the window is quite noticeable but was never part of the noise problem for us. In fact you get used to it quickly. And we actually thought it was a cool part of the Chicago experience of our stay.
- This unit is described as a “condo” but it feels more like a large dorm room.
- The unit is in commercial building and shares a hallway with a kind of children’s daycare business. Unit is also directly above another commercial space which is used for events/parties. These both resulted in a noisy environment.
- There were repairs/construction going on in the building at the time of our stay. Our experience coming and going involved having to step over various tools and materials just to enter the elevator, which on different occasions had stinky trash in it as well as filled bins and other debris.
- Listing sets high expectations for professional cleaning regimen, though as soon as we arrived we found a used candy wrapper, food crumbs in the window sill, and a very dusty vent in the bathroom. Unit was generally clean otherwise.
The Bottom Line:
Judging from the many other positive reviews, I assume we must have had some bad luck. But based on our experience, we can’t recommend it.