The positive reviews can not be real. I am not the type of person that complains or writes bad reviews, but this experience made me so physically sick that I have come here to warn people to find something else!
Upon arriving in New York, the host gave me a code to the lockbox at the site that contained my key to get in. When I arrived at the AirBNB, that code did not work. I had to call Ignacio, who told me to try another code that did not work, and ended up waiting over half an hour on the busy sidewalk with three suitcases while it was getting dark for him to come reset the lock and get the key out for me. Even after accessing the key, Ignacio had to show me where the AirBNB was actually located, as there was no indication.
There was a strong smell of toxic chemicals. I would be comfortable with it if it had just smelled like bleach or disinfectant spray, but the entire place smelled like pesticides had just been sprayed, especially on the bed. The bed did not feel like an actual mattress, it seemed almost like a box spring that had been covered. It also had a sheet of plastic wrapped around it underneath the actual bedding. At first, I wasn’t too worried about the chemical smell in the bed since I had brought my own blanket cover, but the chemical smell was so strong that it permeated through the cover, making it impossible to breathe at night. I woke up with nose bleeds after both nights of sleeping there. I also found mold growing on the built-ins in the shower as well as dark curly hairs on the sheets and in the shower upon my arrival. I had dinner delivered on the first night and wanted to use the fork provided in the kitchen, but it had old food stuck to the back of it.
On my second day there, I woke up to an intense gas smell. I turned on the ceiling fan and window AC and left the room for two hours, but when I came back the smell was still strong. After about three hours of sitting in there, I began feeling nauseous from the fumes. I had yet another bloody nose and began vomiting. I was supposed to stay for 30 nights but ended up leaving after 2. Luckily, I found a room at the Hilton for nearly the same price.
Please do yourself a favor and choose comfort and safety during your trip! You don’t want to end up on the sidewalk looking last minute for a new stay like I did.