Pros:
*close to JFK airport
*spacious (as advertised)
*very responsive host
*neighborhood was accessible to subway, bus to JFK, wasn’t far from shopping, etc. the street offered a Bodega and some good food!
we arrived late to check in and as others noted, it can be pretty disconcerting to be in that neighborhood but I’ll note once we got inside, I felt safe. Also we stood outside for more than 5 minutes trying to figure out which gate and such and no one bothered us or even paid attention. It was high traffic area but folk were minding their own business. All of that to say, it’s New York and I think most of what you experience on the outside of the apartment is culturally true for Brooklyn and not that you are in a dangerous place.
With that said, as everyone has noted and in the description, the street noise is LOUD. If you’re a light sleeper or feeling scared, you’ll likely not sleep well. Interestingly the first night felt like full activity with sirens every hour and car horns and big vehicles zooming next to us, but the second night the street was quieter.
Things to note: these were cons for us but may not be for you.
*access to apartment is up a very narrow steep flight of stairs.
We were on a quick layover in NY from a week in Northern Europe and heading back to Caribbean so we had a million bags because of clothes needed for our prior vacation.
We also had a senior citizen with us who can walk but has significant knee challenges.
Had I know about the flight of stairs, for both these reasons, I wouldn’t have booked so I thought to share because I don’t recall seeing it anywhere in the description.
*window units for cooling the apartment. The first of our group got in the apartment at 9:15 and proceeded to turn on all a/c because it was steaming hot in there. The general area didn’t get “cool” until 1am. Rooms cooled by 11. Some of the ceiling fans work, some don’t. I reached out to the hosts whose main point to me was that “no one else complained” and their a/cs are "working". I had to concede that this is true, they do turn on and blow air but the reality is that they are not strong enough to cool the spaces even within an 1-1.5 hour timeframe of cooling. It's pretty warm this time of year, heat rises and this is upstairs and window units are the least effective for cooling. For example, the temp setting on the a/c in the sitting area says 60 degrees and if I stand directly in the front of it, I feel 60 degrees. If I sit at the table right next to it, not with the air blowing directly on me, at 9.30am (literally 12 hours since it was first turned on), I felt about 70ish degrees…not warm but not 60 degrees as would be the case for ductless or central air. The fan isn't working in main sitting area (maintenance guy checked it) so that adds to the limited circulation of the cold air.
*the wifi is pretty crappy and as non-Americans, we rely heavily on wifi for communicating. Even in room 2, the person has to come outside the door for a strong signal. Room 4, there is no wifi signal at all.
When we arrived our bed was broken but maintenance fixed it quickly and the sofa bed is broken and an air mattress was offered. Two members from our booking ended up leaving to stay in a hotel because the air mattress was not going to work and after an extremely loooong travel day, having to lay in a hot room was not up to their standard. There was no option for even a partial refund so the rest of the group remained and all in all it was okay for the quick 2 night, maybe 36 hours layover we had in New York.
Would I come back?
Ehhh I’m not sure. I think most of our issues were specific to our group not that it was a bad place so given that, even as a 100% proponent of the airbnb market (I’m a host myself), I’d likely opt for a hotel, even with a large group and split up in rooms which would likely double the cost.