I feel conflicted writing this review because I really want this AirBnb to succeed but I also want others to have a heads up on the pros and cons of this condo. I decided to stay here because it had so many amazing reviews and because the description says "You'll love my place because of the location. My place is good for couples, solo adventurers, and business travelers." That's exactly what I was looking for but...
Cons:
- The host's mother was who I was asked to call when I arrived at the AirBnb. She had no prior knowledge of what means of transportation I was taking from the airport to the AirBnb but the first thing she told me when I called her upon arriving was that whatever I do, do not walk to the AirBnb, which is exactly what I had just done. It was a short walk from my train station stop. She informed me that it was very dangerous to do so, that there had been some recent carjackings in that area, and to never walk by myself especially in the early morning or as it draws closer to evening. It was indeed close to the Convention Center but not close to any restaurants that I felt like I could 'safely' walk to. I ended up taking an Uber everywhere which wasn't exactly what I had planned for but the host's mother thoroughly made me too scared to walk.
- One of the condo's adjacent neighbors smokes marijuana all day/every day it seemed. The smell was constantly leaking into this condo and was absolutely intolerable. Fortunately I was gone from the condo most of the day during my stay except for the last day. I had to keep the bedroom door closed to help prevent the smell from taking over that space. I understand that what a neighbor does is out of the control of the AirBnb host but if my children and family had been with me I would have had to find other accomodations because the smell was so terrible. I encouraged the host's mother to contact the building's landlord to work toward a solution in resolving how this neighbor's habits is severely impacting other residences.
- The dishwasher wasn't working, but hopefully that will get fixed.
Pros:
- Easy check-in.
- Free parking if you have your own vehicle.
- The location is super close to McCormack Convention Center if you are spending time there.
- The host provided a ton of complimentary snacks, water, and coffee.
- The condo was clean and well equipped.
- Easy to contact the host's mother. I unfortunately lost the keys at the Convention Center and she was very gracious about it and even left work to bring me a new set of keys and let me in the building.
I really hope things with safety in the surrounding neighborhood and the potsmoking neighbor change in the near future for this AirBnb because unfortunately I would not stay here again for these two reasons.