Excellent value with some minor cons.
Like others said it’s about 10 minutes walk from a subway station, which was a single train for about an hour to Penn Station. I did that 10 minute walk a couple of times during the early morning/late night, and never felt unsafe. Street parking, but I arrived on a Thursday early afternoon and was easily able to get a spot (literally right in front of the building!) and when I left on Sunday afternoon there were a decent amount of open spaces. Host was flexible and let me check in a few hours earlier than the listed time.
Room was bigger than I expected from the pictures. The large desk and full-length mirror next to it were a big help in getting ready in the morning and doing my makeup. There’s a closet w/hangers and a hook on the wall for a coat. It’s the upstairs apartment of the building, host lives downstairs. There’s 4 bedrooms with a shared common area/kitchen and bathroom.
The cons:
- The bed was comfortable, but something they used when washing the bedding had a very strong scent. I have a sensitive nose and it was a bit of an issue for me, I ended up covering the pillow with an extra shirt and putting the supplied extra blanket (which didn’t smell) under the duvet (European style bedding, so no top sheet.) If you think the scent may be an issue I’d suggest asking if they could wash the bedding without that product, or bringing your own fitted sheet/pillowcase/top sheet.
- I wouldn’t go as far as saying the bathroom was dirty, but I wouldn’t say it was clean either. However that was the only area where I noticed some uncleanliness, and since the rooms were all booked there were at least 4 people sharing it, so for me it was understandable and I wouldn’t consider it a deal breaker.
- A bath towel is provided, but it would’ve been nice to have an individual hand towel as well.
- My key didn’t work the first time I went to unlock my room door. Called the host and she sent her daughter up with a different set that did work. I noticed at least one other reviewer that had this problem, so I’d suggest when you first arrive trying the key 2-3 times to make sure it consistently works. I don’t think the lock was the issue as I never had any problems with the second set of keys.
Even with those few cons I’d definitely stay again. If you’ve got questions/concerns the host is very responsive. 🙂