We loved our stay at Paul and Debra's place. This one is quite a unique AirBnB in that the hosts live on a separate floor in the same building using a shared front door. On the odd occasion that I saw Debra, I really enjoyed hearing about the neighbourhood and getting recommendations (basically, getting that AirBnN super-host experience) while also having an entire property to ourselves. It was like the best of both worlds. The garden flat was clean and spacious and Debra and Paul had made some really thoughtful little touches (chilled water in the mini-fridge, snacks, disposable cups, recent copy of Time Out New York etc). These things make the difference for me. They were also in touch with us on WhatsApp for whatever we needed.
The private garden is a lovely space, and such a rarity in New York. The icing on the cake is the location. I think once you've been a tourist in central Manhattan a few times, then you start to 'graduate' to New York's cool Neighbourhoods; Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill is a wonderfully authentic experience of which Debra and Paul's property is smack centre. Would certainly return.