Irena’s house is exactly as it looks in the photos - a huge, beautiful corner brownstone in a very safe and secure residential area of Brooklyn.
Our family of four stayed here in the first week of August and, despite having several air con units, the house struggled to keep cool inside and was sometimes hotter inside than out!
The rooms were comfortable enough but there were too many personal items everywhere - boxes and boxes of stuff, clothes in almost every drawer, under beds and food in the fridge. We felt like we were house sitting rather than on holiday and didn’t even use a whole floor of the house! The house is very old so we had issues with running the air con and the tv or fan at the same time - several times having to reset the circuit breaker in the basement.
I’m sure the house is at its best in Spring or Autumn when you can have the shutters and windows open but it was so hot, we ended up with a shaded, dark, dingy house to stay in.
There is a small patio/deck but you have to climb in and out of a window to get to it, so not ideal for anyone with less mobility. There is also no dishwasher or hairdryer supplied.
The surrounding area is great - there are several delis, shops, cafes and restaurants nearby and subway stations within a short walking distance.
Our favourite local eateries included Dinosaur BBQ, Beer & Burgers, Doughnut Plant and Gorilla Coffee. We also enjoyed visiting Prospect Park and Dumbo as well as all that Manhattan has to offer. Trains were frequent and thankfully, air conditioned.