Pros:
Location is amazing. It was really cool to stay in Little Italy. The surrounding area is fun to walk.
The apartment feels quaint / historic so that was cool.
Sarah was responsive overall. Check in and check out were easy and clear.
Cons:
The reviews noting the sound from above and below are very true, we were able to hear everything - word for word conversations, every footstep from above us, and the dialogue when the tv was on. The White noise machine provided by Sarah helped a little bit, but isn’t able to fully cover any noise from above or below.
The kitchen situation was a bit disappointing - lacked a few common items that I would consider essential. There wasn’t a spatula - only a pair of tongs and a ladle. I was trying to make burgers and found it a bit difficult. I messaged Sarah and she responded, saying she’d try to get us a spatula, and i responded several times but never got the spatula over the 4 days we were there.
Other reviews noting the state of the bathroom are accurate, it has some mildew on surfaces around the shower.
The bed was not comfortable. Dipped in the center me and my wife (both in our twenties) had sore backs in the mornings.
The house rules emphasize leaving the key in a lockbox hanging from the door, and not taking it - or you risk a $200 fee for a lost key. $200 to replace a key is absurd as it costs less than $10 at a hardware store. We followed this rule but it was irritating to have to use the code to get into the lockbox, AND to re lock the key twice when entering and leaving each time. It’s a clunky device.
Sarah messaged us on the night prior to checkout with instructions; which were simple and easy. She also said that if we wanted to leave the cleaner, Ana, a gratuity we could do that if we had really found the place to be well-cleaned. Personally, I would expect any Airbnb to be exceptionally clean, and think that it’s the duty of the host to clean or pay a cleaner well, especially considering the exorbitant cleaning fees that are standard with each booking.
Overall this stay was alright. The one issue we had (spatula sadness) was not resolved by the host. I can’t really decide if I think it was worth the price to stay here - the location was incredible but the apartment itself wasn’t comfortable due to sleeping arrangements, noise, and the under-supplied kitchen.