We really enjoyed our stay at Elle’s place and for the price, we felt it was super convenient, clean, and safe.
We had a full itinerary so we mostly just used the apartment as a home base and a place to sleep, which is exactly what was needed and exactly what Elle described.
The neighborhood is really nice and we felt safe walking around day or night. It is close to many shops and restaurants, as well as the Subway station so that was super helpful for anyone wanting to head to other parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan, etc.
A few things to note which weren’t really issues for me, but in my mind to be expected when dealing with old brownstones in Brooklyn and probably something I wish I had known prior to staying. As a previous guest mentioned, due to the old plumbing in the building, you cannot flush any toilet paper or wipes, feminine products etc. Totally understandable given the age of the building, but we didn’t know before we booked and arrived (I hadn’t read the previous review yet), and having a disabled daughter and three others staying it seemed a bit daunting at first. We worked around it and just made sure to take out the bathroom trash daily. Secondly, it was hot in NY during our stay, and there is no way to control the a/c and no thermostat as it’s a basement apartment so you rely on the unit for the upstairs house to kick on to get cool air. When it came on it was great, but often at night it was a bit warmer than we would have liked. We also did notice quite a few ants swarming around the bedroom windows facing the street, but Elle has a lovely garden outside and I spoke to her and she was already on it and taking care of it. We are from Florida, the land of flying cockroaches and other critters so it didn’t phase us at all. Just mentioning to confirm previous reviews. Lastly, parking could be super convenient if you can find a spot. It’s city parking on the street, so sometimes you get lucky and get a spot, sometimes you have to circle blocks for 20-30 minutes looking and praying, and you have to be aware of signs for street cleaning, no parking zones etc. We did get a ticket for parking somewhere that wasn’t ok, but that’s on us for not knowing the rules and frankly not caring after having to search for a long time.
There are no toiletries provided and no snacks or coffee, condiments, etc in the apartment for you. Some hosts go over and above in this department and some don’t. The only things available I am assuming were the items left by previous guests, so be sure to bring anything you need and if you are missing something you can walk right over to Rite Aid.
All in all, the apartment was otherwise exactly as described. Clean, safe, nicely decorated and exactly what we needed.