I would like to start by immediately saying I would stay again on my next visit to New York. Amazing value, great location, and easy access for transportation. If you haven’t booked flights yet I would like to add it would be easier to travel to and from JFK rather then the LGA airport. It is much closer and easier for public transit. I Loved the area as it is close to Coney Island amusement park and the beach is not even a 5 minute walk away. The Bus stop is right in front of the house and only minutes away from the train to Manhattan. My wife and I personally walked to our train everyday as the neighbourhood is beautiful with a nice sense of relaxation with your morning coffee, and your bed time snack amenities between your Brighton Beach train stop. Manhattan is roughly anywhere from 45 mins to an hour depending on the train and distance into Manhattan but we didn’t mind at all as we stayed for 6 days and the value heavily outweighed the money it would cost to stay in Lower Manhattan. If you are only staying a couple days and have strict time limits Manhattan might be more for you.
I would also like to add our return home flight was booked for late in the day and Laura had no problem offering to hold bags so we could enjoy one last walk down the beach, a meal, and some good local shopping. I can guarantee you will not regret picking this location as the host are very nice and helpful people.