On the positive side, the apartment is very close to the Common and the whole of Boston’s downtown, on a quiet side street. The bedrooms are attractive and feature good mattresses and bedclothes. There were no hitches with the building and apartment door codes, and communication with the host was quick and clear.
What about the negative side? Advertised as “lavishly designed,” the apartment is in fact awkward, and shows signs of having been rearranged in clumsy ways. The pictures of the kitchen / living room are actually from a different unit in the building—one with bigger windows and a balcony. Our kitchen island, missing from the photos, cramps the dining area. Ceiling lights indicate that the dining table was located elsewhere, then moved to accommodate the island. But the lights remain where they were, head-bangers for tall people. Another problem in the kitchen is faulty electric outlets, which repeatedly stopped working. (No GFCI circuitry anywhere: was the renovation of the apartment even in compliance with code?) The built-in microwave, including light for the stovetop, was broken. The cabinets were understocked: unless you bring your own cooking gear, don’t plan on doing more than minimal cooking. Somehow characteristic was that the kitchen towels, instead of absorbing water, repel it; good luck trying to tidy up with them. An apartment advertised to accommodate up to 8 people came with just two wine glasses. When the living room area was rearranged, no one bothered to rehang a picture—which ended up half-eclipsed by the TV. So much for “lavishly designed.”
The bathrooms are ok, but poorly maintained. A loose toilet seat. The flush mechanism is missing a crucial plastic nut on the inside of the tank. One of the sinks backs up. The door handles are loose, and fail to lock.
The apartment turns out to be owned not by a couple called Heather and Brian but by “Healing Homes of Boston,” incorporated in New Mexico a few years ago. “Healing Homes” seems to manage multiple units in the building. Check-in was late in the day and check-out early. The company should advertise the unit with photos FROM the unit, and bring in an electrician and a handyman to make repairs. The price seems high for what my family got.