When we stepped inside the Victorian Mansion, a smile came to my face, as I recognized the living and dining rooms from Alissa’s pictures. They are simply but tastefully and elegantly decorated, and the spaciousness could make one feel quite rich! The kitchen is unique, charming and will meet basic cooking needs for most travelers. (A teapot and strainer would be lovely…) Just be sure to leave the switch to the left of the refrigerator untouched. We found out that it controls power for the fridge! Unluckily for us, we arrived on the hottest day of the year, and the shared quarters (living and dining rooms, kitchen) were sweltering. Because I did not consider this an emergency, but rather an inconvenience, I used the Air B&B messaging system to let Alissa know about this. Unfortunately, the e-mail on my smartphone was not working; I had to wait until we returned to the house and I could use my laptop to check e-mail. Moral of the story: use the phone! If I had, I am sure Alissa would have resolved the issue, as she was very concerned when we did connect. Luckily, the AC units in both of our rooms were quite good. We slept in comfort on marvelous mattresses.
We stayed in the suite that includes Kings’ Quarters and The Scholars Room. Both are striking and quite different from the other in décor. We all decided that the Scholars Room had been transported from Hogwarts School! We would like to suggest more hooks, dressers, or even just shelves, to hold things, especially extra towel bars. Kings Quarters did, however, have an ample closet bar, without an actual closet.
Additionally, my husband knocked into a small framed picture near the doorway, in the dark (no nightlights), and broke it, which we felt horrible about. Alissa seemed to take that in stride, and said she will install nightlights. For now, maybe take your own.
A few last positives. We found the other guests pleasant, and some were quite fascinating! All rooms were clean, clean, clean. It was great to have free street parking, and the neighborhood was quiet. The bus/subway/ferry thing took some figuring out, but the ferry was a pleasant transition from sleepier, work-a-day Staten Island to the bustle of upscale Manhattan. All in all, we would stay there again, but would be sure to use Alissa’s phone number if something was causing us discomfort.