We have stayed in this basement studio-flat for 4 nights recently. In the contrary to other reviewers we did not have a chance to meet Fay due to our itinerary, as we were leaving quite early or coming back rather late.
Arrival and departure.
Our flight was arriving at JFK after 10pm, hence we had to “check-in” after midnight. We have pre-agreed it with our host and she made sure that we can have an easy access to the basement upon our arrival.
Similar situation was with our departure. We had to leave quite early for the airport, but again, we have pre-agreed it with Fay and there were again no problems with that.
Apartment
As I have already mentioned, this is a basement studio flat located in one of the typical houses in Brooklyn. To get in, one has to go through the back door via one set of stairs. Good access and separate entrance make it very convenient for tourists who needs to have a privacy and also easy, uninterrupted access to the flat.
Flat itself is a medium size room with sink, cooker/oven, fridge and freezer. There is also big dinning table with some chairs, three beds, arm chair, two storage cupboards and of course microwave. There was also a big TV with access to Netflix and YouTube. So, in general all what one might need during the stay. There was also a separate bathroom/ toilet with shower. I have to add that our host made sure that bathroom was fully stocked with toiletries. However, we have used only soap as we had our own items. As it is in the basement, despite few small windows, it is rather dark there, even when lights are one. I would guess that few extra lights feature up the celling would do.
Flat itself was quite clean. Of course, carpet probably could be washed more often, but it was not the end of the word in fact. However, in our opinion it was little bit outdated. All items, except TV seen already theirs glory days, which makes apartment to look rather “tired”. I would say that little bit of refreshment would do to make flat to look cosier.
Location
This is a biggest advantage of this property. It is just 5 minutes’ walk from Kings Hwy Subway station, where you can take a line Q directly to Manhattan. And as a Subway runs 24/7, this make a good starting point for everyone who likes to see the city.
There are also few convenience stores around some food carts and small stores selling bagels, etc. so, again, good location.
Biggest Problem
Unfortunately, this flat has one big problem, which we have found out upon our arrival – cockroaches. We could see them everywhere during duration of our stay. On the dining table, bathroom, corridor, near the sink. In fairness numbers weren’t big, but just the fact that there were visible and that despite us killing few, there were still new one coming, made it rather unpleasant experience. We know that our host was aware about the problem as we could see the bug trap at the floor near to cooker. Fay also confirmed that to us when we have asked her about it after our departure, but except small apology no suggestion of any case of compensation has been made. Apparently, this was a due to building site couple of hundreds of meters away. As the building site is quite far away, one would expect that this problem will be taken care of (also considering that it is dragging for a while).
What we really do not appreciate is that fact that we have not been notified about this issue before booking our stay. Of course, I do not expect to see it in the description of the property itself, but at least in one of the messages we have exchanged, so we do feel strongly mislead. In fairness, we would not book our stay there if we knew about this problem. Also, this will be main reason why I will have to reduce rating significantly.
Summary:
Due to close proximity of the Subway station this place can be a good “base” for travel makers in NY. It is not the most modern or cosiest place one can think of, but it is sufficient. However, cockroaches are rather significant issue and lack of notification about this, make it even worse. What would happen if someone would have a fear of cockroaches or been allergic to them? So just due to this fact alone, unfortunately, I would not recommend this place to stay for as long as bugs issue is sorted.