Big beautiful apartment in a great location, but best of all Leslie is an amazing host!

Booking: I needed a place on short notice, and Leslie responded extremely quickly and was super friendly. This would be a constant theme throughout my stay.

The area: incredible location a block from union square and close to the east village & gramercy. I think union square is Manhattan's best subway hub - you can get anywhere and back from here. Lots of great restaurants bars and things to do in the surrounding neighborhoods, but also close to everything you need to just live your life (groceries etc).

Access/the building: getting in and out was a cinch, Leslie left her keys for me with the doorman. Building has an elevator, laundry, and is well run.

The apartment: true 1BR with tons of sunlight and a small patio. The decor is super cool. The apartment is neither new or old but everything's in great shape. Also, it doesn't show in the pics but Leslie's upgraded it with a nice flat screen tv and premium cable so it's a great spot to chill out.

The host: great! Leslie is a top 10% host - super responsive, friendly and wants to make sure you have a great stay. I had a few minor issues early on and she consistently went above and beyond to fix them and make sure I was happy. She was also really helpful when I got stranded and needed an extension for a few days.

Bottom line I had a great, relaxing, no-hassle stay in a truly cozy (as in, warm and with a personal touch, not claustrophobic and tiny) apartment in a great location. Hopefully you will too.

Two things to note: this is the host's home too, so if you strongly prefer airbnbs where the host doesn't really live in their place and it's completely empty, this may not be right for you. But Leslie left the place clean and uncluttered and left post-its everywhere so I knew where to store my stuff (lots of space). Another thing to know - the A/C worked well but it was cooling a big space, so if you are staying here in July/August and you like your rooms sub-70, you may be a little warm. I was totally fine though and I'm a Californian :)