Travelling to the USA for a month in December and using Airbnb for the first time I can honestly say my family & I were so excited to stay in a traditional apartment in what we consider a cool part of New York. This was our fourth stop with being in California for 2 weeks prior. However there are some points I’d like to share with others looking at staying in Jenny’s apartment. First of all we stayed for Christmas & New Year (which was a dream of ours to do!). The block seems to get rented out over the festive period for short stays (weekends/ Airbnb etc) and so turns into a place where parties, loud music, shouting & disrupted sleep occurs. This is not Jenny’s fault but if you’re looking for somewhere to relax - this isn’t the place. It’s not sound proof so those above are extremely loud and disturbing on the wooden floors. When we asked if Jenny could have a word she didn’t seem to know anyone in the block & we got the impression she doesn’t live there & purely rents for an income- which is fine but I wasn’t under that impression when booking. Parties happened on a couple of occasions & went beyond 5am directly below & next door. When we knocked we were told “tough” they live there and will do what they want & that Jenny was subletting illegally. When I asked this I woke to several messages from Jenny & missed calls as well from Airbnb and I got the impression this may be true and she had acted in a panic. A few other point I’d like to share;
Smoke alarm goes off when cooking even when there’s little or no smoke. Wasn’t fun on Xmas day! The oven is dirty and I put this down to it needing a clean.
The toaster is broke & with no grill struggled with breakfast for
My daughter.
There’s an Iron but no board - need to improvise (another reason why I guessed nobody lives there)
There’s no heating in front bedroom & is cold/ drafty in winter. This is generally classed as a children’s room & my daughter was sleeping with layers of blankets including wearing a hoodie to bed- not something I was happy with considering the amount we paid. When I asked Jenny i was told to leave the doors open to allow heat in, which proves difficult when you have a teenager!!
I felt the host picks & chooses which messages to reply to. For example I had a question about the iMac and don’t get a response.
Theres no kettle so if you want to boil water for tea/ coffee etc then you have to use one of 2 pans available.
We arrived early hours of the morning and struggled with the key box & getting in. Might be due to our jet lag & lack of sleep but when you’re told to search through boxes on the right when really it’s the on the left (and there’s lots- hence lots of Airbnb / rent outs) kind of pushed my patience a little.
The only TV is in the main bedroom so if you’re looking to chill at night then bring a laptop as the iMac is not in viewing distance of the sofa.
If you’re expecting to see the NYE fireworks from the rooftop- you can’t!
If the above doesn’t bother you, then the apartment is cool and in the heart of Williamsburg. The views from the rooftop are amazing! And is easy for public transport to Manhattan and across Brooklyn. It’s clean & has the basics.
Jenny- I apologise that this review isn’t what I know you would have hoped & I apologise for us contacting you so much when we were having trouble with your neighbours. Hope you understood our frustration.
Charlie