First the pluses.

We stayed for a week and this flat was about $600 less than the other larger apartments that were available in this area. This was a New York bargain.

The first sense one has of this flat is that it is warm and clean, very clean.

The wireless internet is very fast.

The bathroom, which is almost new, is tiled floor to ceiling, with good fixtures and an excellent shower with lots of hot water and a great shower-head. For those of you arriving by air, Marina has left an assortment of shampoos, creme rinses and soaps.

There is plenty of street parking close to the door and the Staten Island Ferry is under 3 miles away and about 8 minutes away. Parking at the ferry terminal is $8 per day or free on nearby streets.

The neighbourhood appears to be very safe which was good because we left the window open to sleep at night.

Otherwise:

The flat is a little bit odd but exactly as illustrated in the photographs. The bedroom is on the first floor and the bathroom and kitchen are in a semi-basement.

We are in our sixties and I asked Marina what the bed was like and if I should bring my memory foam bed topper. She though it would be a good idea to bring our memory foam even though it is a new IKEA bed. We brought our bed topper with us and the bed was fine.

The kitchen. There was basic dishes and cutlery for two people and a gas stove with basic kettle, pots and pan. We were left some small things in the fridge and pantry to get us going, garbage bags, paper towels, sugar, good tea, instant coffee and fruit. We only did breakfast and two evenings we brought in takeout. There is no microwave or coffee maker.

We aren't TV watchers but if you are there isn't any TV.

This isn't a place to hang around in but a great pied-à-terre for someone who wants to be close to Manhattan without the expense of hotels and city's sky high parking costs.