I am giving 3 stars mostly due to how kind Annie and lee are. Other than that there were a lot of issues with the bedroom cleanliness. I sent Annie photos. I wish I could provide photos on the review as well. But here is the breakdown, folks
Pros:
Communication
Early check in was a plus
Location was nice
Only 1 floor walk up
Water machine for guests in common area is awesome
Decently comfy bed IMO
Spacious closet
Great bedroom AC
Safe & secure building
Cons:
Dirty comforter covered in lots of blonde strands of hair… No top sheet provided, which made it even more skeevy and upsetting
No mirror at all in bedroom which was awful for us getting ready and stuff (it’s much more inconvenient than you’d think)
Bathroom was not that clean (shower scum mostly in crevices of shower, yellowish drippage on walls, very dirty medicine cabinet that was also filled with empty toilet paper rolls (odd))
2 bathrooms shared amongst 7 people if all rooms are full (wasn’t a big issue for us luckily but some wouldn’t like this)
Extra Large black smudges on bedroom wall
No shoes allowed (I find this unsanitary in a shared space but the owner has every right to set this rule and I get it. (Bring slippers because that is allowed, and it would be smart to do so)
Common area is not usable by guests. There’s no table to have a snack or whatever. There was one futon but it was covered in crumbs or something. Absolutely no other furniture other than a desk that is for the owner and covered with their personal belongings
My Bedroom desk was insanely scratched up but did seem clean
A lot of rules… fair and easy to follow but read description carefully before booking
Noisy bedroom given its facing the busy street (no ones fault), bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper
Overall the experience was not super nice. These items listed above are based on our own experience and expectations. My friend was so upset she wanted to leave and get a hotel, I said no it’s not worth it only because I couldn’t justify throwing away more money otherwise I definitely would. I think if the comforter didn’t have someone else’s hairs all over it we would’ve felt slightly better (no top sheet provided either). The bathroom was not very clean, the toilet seemed okay but there was no bathmat for showering (which = wet floors. There were sink and toilet mats but those looked very worn down and not clean) and the medicine cabinet was gross. Sharing bathrooms with 5 other guests also contributed to hair all on the floor I think. Not anyone’s fault. I would say if you literally don’t care about anything and just need a bed to crash on this could be good for you. There are a lot of rules that MUST be followed (you will not get away with disobeying, which is totally fair!). I didn’t really have an issue with that but some might feel like they want more “freedom”. It’s a great location for a very low price so I was fortunate for that. You get what you pay for though. I appreciate what Annie and lee provided. Ik it is a lot of work. I did 6 months in Europe in college and stayed in some rough hostles so I am a pretty well rounded individual, but the beds in all those hostels were cleaner than this one. And personally the cleanliness of a bed is the only thing that matters to me. Lee was nice and easy to communicate with. (Annie was not there at all so I can’t say). I’m not saying this was the worst place ever but just be mindful in booking. All in all, thank you for everything and providing us with a safe a secure location to stay.