On the day before my check-in, the host and I trying ti find a time that worked for both of us. Since I had an early morning flight, she suggested I come straight from the airport and the room would be ready for me. However, when I landed the next day and I let her know that I was going to be on my way from the airport , she told me that the room would not be ready yet and I decided to explore Manhattan in the meantime and since I only had one backpack with me that wasn't a problem. I also asked the host if she had any recommendations on her favorite things to do in the city and she promptly replied with something along the lines of, "I am busy with work, let's talk later. Thanks" I was quite taken aback with her response as I was just trying to be friendly and other hosts in the past have been more than happy to share their recommendations with me.
When I finally arrived to check in one of the first things she said to me was, " you send so many texts, you talk so so much". I also wanted to mention that this place is on the 4th floor and there is no elevator, I don't see that mentioned anywhere in this listing, but I'm sure Deycke would be able to help you carry your bags up if you needed.
My room was quite nice. It was well lit and airy however the desk in the room felt a bit sticky and unclean. The towels that I was given had a very strong smell of laundry detergent and an undertone of mildew, they also felt a bit cold, like they had not been dried properly.
The bathroom is pretty small but that's just how it is in New York so no complaints there, however there was black mold in the caulking between the wall and the sink and there was a large amount of dust and debris in the gap between the tub and the sink, like it hadn't been cleaned in years. When I attempted to take a shower the water started to pool at my feet and I looked down and the water was grey. It was really disgusting and I did not feel clean after my shower. The shower curtains were made out of a material that absorbs water and they also smelt of mildew there was also brown stains on one of the shower curtains. There is also no bin in the bathroom.
The kitchen had a very strange unpleasant smell but it didn't bother me too much as I was hardly in the kitchen during my stay. There wasn't any clean sponge for me to use to wash my dish so I ended up putting the dish detergent on my hands and washing the plate/spoon with my hands when I needed it.
The highlights of my stay were definitely the cats, the location, the proximity to the subway station, the natural sunlight, and the comfy mattress.