The apartment is 30-40 mins subway ride from the centre of NYC but the subway is very close. There are plenty of shops close and eating places close by.
However, we were very disappointed with our stay for the following reasons :
Check In Time
This Airbnb is not suitable for anyone travelling on an international flight as there is no flexibility around check in. If like me, you have been travelling for 36+ hours, this constraint causes too much stress as the time it takes to get through security and New York traffic is unpredictable.
The Host suggested that we should plan to arrive early and place our luggage in storage so we could be sure to be on time (albeit he didn’t say where that was). Most people do not want this hassle after such a long flight.
Emergency Support
We locked ourselves out of the apartment as the lock was complicated and there was no instructions provided. We immediately sent a message to the Host expecting some help. We did not get a reply - this meant we couldn’t get on with our day. After 5 hours we decided to call the emergency line at Airbnb - they too couldn’t locate the host for a while. Eventually they found him and gave us a message but the Host still didn’t call or text us. We rang him ourselves and were not reassured by the conversation as he said he was in California and was unsure how he could get us a key. The problem was eventually resolved but we found the whole situation very stressful.
Cleaning
We were charged $86.20 for cleaning and the apartment was at best superficially ok but vents and paintwork were filthy and I could write my name in the dust. I suspect there has not been a professional deep clean of the apartment for many months/years.
Instructions
There were no instructions or information in the apartment other than the wi fi code and telephone number on the fridge. We were unsure what was available to us to use in the apartment. Eg. Food, hairdryer, iron, coffee machine etc
Sleeping (Noise and Curtains)
The apartment is near to a main road and very noisy through the night and so it was difficult to sleep. In addition there were no curtains in either room that blocked out the morning light.
Location
The apartment is quite far way from NYC and for this reason doesn’t represent great value for money when you add on daily travel costs.