All in all: this is an adequate place to stay if you like pools, need a functional booking in Austin, and don’t care about the details.
First, the good things: great
neighborhood—quiet, safe, conveniently located (near lots of stuff that was easy to get to with a nearby Lime scooter). Single garage space connected to the unit (thumbs up). Ample parking in the street outside the condo. Awesome pool (we used it a ton). Amenities: washer dryer came in handy during our 10-day stay. The kitchen had pots and pans and stuff for cooking. The “designated workspace” is nice—it looks out over the trees out front, but it blocks the elevator door (in case you need to use it). Also: yes, the place has an elevator, but I don’t know if it works. There were also giant TVs in every room, but we never used them.
The keyless entry was convenient, but I personally prefer it when hosts change the code for every guest (last four of your phone#, for example); it protects guests and hosts from someone coming back or getting in. And I have no idea when this code had last been changed, so I felt a little vulnerable but obviously was fine.
Cleanliness: everything was surface clean (I think), but the place, overall, had a worn-out, grimy feeling. Examples: my sheets seemed clean, but they were stained; the towels were plenty but were all microfiber and mismatched, the ceiling vents are caked in dust, the edges between the tubs and bathroom floors were not clean, the windows are all hazy, the cupboards were peeling and need to be wiped down inside, the garage was full of junk, the washer/dryer closet was cluttered, someone “repainted” the place but didn’t bother to paint the ceiling or corners and they didn’t tape (as in: they just painted the floor in some places and over shower tiles and outlets in others); there was one kitchen dish towel and nothing else—not even coffee, so ready to supply your own everything, including ice); there were hanging frames on the walls with no art in them; none of the closet hangers even matched. It was all a little strange.
Note: while most of this stuff is of no REAL consequence—i.e. it’s all functional (I mean, we stayed there for ten days!), the place, overall, felt neglected.
Host: was super responsive and helpful in getting us booked—and he did a big flex to meet a requested date change at the beginning of our booking, which I really appreciated. He also sent a text the day we booked to share helpful tips about Austin. But then we had to ask for check-in details when we arrived (panic city), and they didn’t respond to our inquiries once we were in. One of the inquiries: why none of the upstairs bedroom outlets worked. We figured out later: they’re all blocked. So, those nice lamps you see in the photos upstairs? Yep, they don’t work; there’s no where to plug them in. Additionally, and I don’t know if this is common, but the host both changes his name (from “Deacon S” to “Paul”) and requested that I participate in a “listing change/transfer” a month after we were booked. He said he was consolidating listings. I’ve never experienced this before.
And then, finally, there was something on the downstairs bedroom ceiling (and another above the stairs) that looked like a camera. We covered it with an old inventory sticker that still stuck the shower curtain rod. The alarm system appeared to be off—and maybe the thing on the ceiling was just an inert motion detector—but it felt a little off.
I’ve tried to give a full, fair, balanced, and accurate accounting so that other travelers can make good decisions for themselves based on good data. I hope this review helps.