We had a pleasant stay at La Stella for a mini-family reunion over Thanksgiving weekend. Check-in was simple and straightforward, and Bob communicated well with us. We enjoyed the neighborhood.
The great:
- Great location - a short drive from downtown, a short walk to Lake Washington and Seward Park, and a very short walk to the light rail station.
- Plenty of beds for everyone to sleep comfortably
- Great living room with chairs/couches and a great smart TV with cable
- Kitchen was well-stocked with dishes, spices, cooking utensils, etc
- Lots of clean bedding, sheets, towels, etc.
- Fans in the bedrooms for those who wanted things a bit cooler
- Great yard and deck area - we could get some fresh air without getting soaked in the persistent Seattle winter rains
- Pet friendly - our dog had a great time
- Plenty of street parking out front and a little parking spot by the backyard entrance
Areas of opportunity:
- Cleanliness was not up to the level that we expected (especially given the steep cleaning fee), particularly in the kitchen. There was a spilled packet of cayenne powder in the kitchen that was not pleasant to clean up. Quite a bit of dirt came up from the counters - we had to clean them again ourselves. The oven was quite greasy as well. Many of the cabinets had peeling or stripped vinyl laminate lining on the interior. A bit of work on the kitchen would go a long way.
- The queen bed had very poor supports that fell over and needed to be fixed by removing the mattress.
- The fireplace was not functional
- The listing advertises 3.5 bathrooms. One is on the very top floor (and absolutely beautiful - standing shower, sink, and a toilet with a skylight), one is on the 2nd floor (shower, bathtub, toilet, sink), and there's a half bathroom (just a toilet and a sink) on the main floor. The final bathroom is in the basement (combo tub/shower, sink, and toilet) and was not usable for the older members of our family - the stairs were rickety and the basement was not a pleasant place to be.
- The 10 AM checkout was too early - a noon checkout would be much friendlier
- No screens on the windows meant that we couldn't open them without a torrent of insects invading the house.