Having never been to Austin, we knew that South Congress (SOCO) was the place to be, so 4 of us (2 couples) booked this place and after touring around Austin, we knew we had picked the ABSOLUTE BEST LOCATION! And Petrie the Pig (who is the sweetest, most adorable potbelly pig---if you have kids, this is the spot for you!) But us as adults--loved this pig!
Here's what's great about this place:
1) It is right off of South Congress and a very cool part right next to the best pizza ever, easy walks to iconic sites (the Greetings from Austin mural, the Austin Motel), and delicious (and cheap!) food options all around.
2) It is NOT on the main road though you can see it, but actually very quiet even though you can see the bustle of the pizza place and the S. Congress streets. The beds are comfy and we all slept great!
3) The interior was fun and clean and makes for great photo opps for sure! A disco ball in both bedrooms AND an excellent WASHER/DRYER!
4) A small balcony with 4 chairs that overlooked the parking lot with a tight right turn. We sat up there for cocktail hour and watched cars leaving the pizza place try to make the turn which was highly enjoyable entertainment. ;-)
5) Authentic Austin-- You feel as if you're part of the city staying here and it was an incredibly SAFE area. I had no worries walking late at night or if our property was safe (and/or our laptops/iPads/possessions) we left inside. Zero worries.
6) There common area in the backyard to play cornhole and where Petrie the Pig lives. --There are 2 other AirBnBs on the property which I worried about before I came, but was fine. Occasionally, we could hear the people below us (the Treehouse is upstairs and the best of all three places--we thought!) but it wasn't bad at all and it added to the feeling of community and security, so all good.
7) The living room--just watch the city from the cute warmth of your living room. At night, I just loved looking out and watching this snapshot of Austin.
8) There is a grocery store you can walk to--Tiny Grocery, I think was the name. LOVED having this here.
9) Hunter was a great host and got back to me immediately when someone was parked in our parking place and silly questions like what to feed Petrie...It was SO easy to get into the AirBnB--no issues there! Super easy to work with and he was wonderful!
10) Petrie. The absolute favorite part of our stay. We talked about him even after we left Austin. And as an animal lover, I was worried that we'd arrive and find a pig that wasn't really cared for but nope--Petrie has a heated house, helpers who come to feed him, a clean pen, lots of hay, water. So if that question ever crossed your mind--no worries there!
The only thing we noticed is if you do AirBnBs a lot, sometimes the little details are nice such as arriving to a bottle of wine, a note, a basket of treats, etc. --there aren't any extras like that and for 4 adults there weren't enough towels (so we just would dry or wash them after using). Also, normally, there's a folder about the AirBnB (how things work, how to clean up at the end, etc.) and places to go in the house, but we couldn't find it--but again, not a big deal, the whole booking was super chill, which I loved. Oh and it does only have 1 bathroom (I worried about that a bit before arriving with a party of 4 adults), but it was FINE and not a big deal at all. AND because of the location, Petrie, and everything else, none of those things made a big difference, but I always try to include everything as I read every review when I'm searching for a place.
Would I stay here again?-- Absolutely. Over any other AirBnB in Austin. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION... it was fantastic. GET THE HOMESLICE PIZZA, literally right outside your door --so so so good!!