We really enjoyed our stay at the Villa Astoria Duplex. We had 11 guests who comfortably ate, bathed, slept, even with the train right across the house....which rocked us to sleep. Alejandro's welcoming was greatly appreciated. He helped us park the van in the garage and also a sedan within the car port. Alejandro recommended many restaurants, sights, and ferries to take, which we took and are very grateful for we had experienced local living while touring NYC.
One issue was when the host requested to use WhatsApp vice AirBnB to obtain all the guests' ID cards and social media details made the communication disconcerting. In today's hacking and identity theft, this process was really concerning to us. We had some unsettling terms up to the day of arrival, but finally, we provided our IDs knowing that the host's AirBnB was not hacked and that we were confirmed for lodging by the end of the day.
The other variable was that this lodging is advertised for up to 12 guests. Upon initial booking for 7 people, we needed to increase our guests up to 11 people and I informed the host early enough to set rightful expectations. The host then stated we needed to pay extra for the additional guests.
Overall, we were glad we were able to lodge at the Villa Astoria Duplex and would highly recommend this place, just a heads up that all guests will need to supply their ID cards and at times, social media details as well. We felt safe in the neighborhood and the train is just a 1 minute walk. There are many 24/7 grocery/food/drink choices by the duplex for any time of day.