THE SUITE: In a single word, our stay at Maria and Jose's place was "perfect". The suite was especially comfortable with plenty of living space for a one week stay as opposed to simply a place to crash for an evening or a few. The full kitchen, breakfast counter/bar and chairs, and two small sofas made the suite a very comfortable place for lazing about in the morning or late afternoon day before going out again for the evening. We didn't do any cooking while there, though the kitchen was fully equipped to do so, but we did have a few simple lunches as well as toast, muffins and coffee in the morning.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Access to the suite was easy and private. Plenty of parking immediately out front on the street. The neighborhood was really nice -- a great, well kept neighborhood overall. A small convenience store as well as a small but amazing vegan food store were within a short walking distance. A full size grocery and a Starbucks were only a few minutes drive away. So plenty of immediate conveniences for us at least. A quick plug for The Beer and Plant brewery pub/restaurant just up the street on Windsor -- good food and beer!
LOCATION: We could not have asked for -- let alone planned -- a better location from the standpoint of access to downtown Austin, its several great neighborhoods, nearby attractions around and outside of Austin, and highways to and from, etc. This became increasingly apparent to us throughout our stay.
One caveat: to do and see everything we wanted to, we really needed and made the right decision in renting a car. Walking and relying on public transport from the suite would have consumed a lot of time and energy. For bicyclists, however, I imagine most of Austin proper would be do-able.