We ended up leaving after the first night, primarily because we found the bathroom unusable.
Unfortunately, this apartment is not 100% usable for a lot of people. And this is primarily due to the bathroom. We understand that NYC apartments are small, and we were prepared to deal with that since we would be spending most of our time enjoying the city. But in addition to being a tiny bathroom (it is the size of a small closet basically) the placement of the toilette makes it nearly unusable for some people.
From the pictures, you cannot know how small the bathroom is.
I am not saying there is deception here, but what I am saying is that because it is so small as to be nearly unusable (depending on your size and level of claustrophobia), that the host should really inform people in some way in order to avoid awkward moments like we had and to be a better host. You will not know until you are there and try to use the toilette.
So how small is it? When you sit on the toilet (assuming you are petite enough) your left hip is pressed up against a pipe that is wrapped in insulation (which we hope is not asbestos). Not only is this uncomfortable, but who goes #2 with their knees together? Your right hip will be hanging over the bathtub. The top edge of the toilette bowl extends over the edge of the bathtub. In fact the hand held water hose is attached to he side of the toilette! It is hard to believe that the building code even allows this (did they?). There is literally zero space on either side of the toilette bowl - it touches a pipe on one side and extends over the bathtub on the other
There is about a 2 foot by 3 foot area (I am being generous) where you can stand, so when you get out of the shower a large person cannot even bend over to dry their feet without hitting their head on something. We had to dry off outside the bathroom which is awkward when in mixed company.
The refrigerator is also unusable due to the fact that the door opens the wrong way and you cannot get into it without moving the small table and chairs and of course there is nowhere to move them to! Again, I realize that NYC apartments are small, but things need to be functional as well. Most refrigerators can be set up either way. This is the second functional issue that has nothing to do with size and cleanliness and at least this one would be easy for the hosts to fix.
This apartment was clean enough, but Arturo could not stop reiterating how clean they keep it. It was nothing to brag about. The pull-out sofa bed had something that looked like chocolate ground into the fabric. The place was "clean" but by no means "spotless". I suppose when compared to the hallways and streets of Manhattan you could say "clean".
And while the unit itself is fairly cute and clean, the building entrance, hallways, and stairs are downright filthy (and scary). If we had been able to see what the hallways and stairways looked like we would never have stayed there. Unfortunately we did not take a picture of that area, so you'll have to take my word for it. Just be prepared.
Being on the second floor above a restaurant may be typical for NYC, but be aware that you will be hearing the sounds of what sounds like metal trash cans banging until about 2 in the morning as the restaurant cleans up. I realize the city is loud, but a higher floor would be better, and due to large gaps where the window air conditioners are installed it sounds like the windows are open when they are not; the unit was also very cold for the same reason, but at least they provided space heaters.
There is always some risk when getting an Airbnb you have never seen before, so we usually look for a "superhost" status to help avoid a disaster. Arturo was rated as a superhost. He was very communicative and professional, but his reaction to our complaints/comments deserves to be shared here so others can take the existing reviews in the right context.
I sent Arturo a text to tell him we were leaving after the second day of four nights we had booked. I said to him: "we understand that NYC bathrooms are small, but we found this one unusable" and ... "If you could be so kind as to refund the last night's rent, we will be kind in our review". That was his chance to avoid this part of the review (Although I think I am still being kind - just being truthful).
Arturo's reaction was to get super defensive with a long reply in which he emphasized all the time, effort, and expenses that have gone into the unit. He kept mentioning his "superhost" status. While I understand how people get defensive when something is a labor of love for them, this is not professional and it doesn't matter. I don't give a hoot how much time effort and money you have invested. This is a business deal. Beware the emotionally driven business person.
But he went beyond defensive when he accused me of trying to scam him in his reply. In reaction to me saying "If you could be so kind as to refund the last night's rent, we will be kind in our review", he said:
"you basically are trying to scam me"
Which I found quite annoying an ironic considering the next thing he said:
"I will refund the last night after you give a 5 star review".
Really Arturo? You start by accusing me of scamming you based on the fact that I said I would be "kind" and then a few lines later