Overall, would recommend and would consider staying there again.
Pros:
- James and Christine are both incredibly welcoming and friendly. Very communicative and accommodating.
- As a lot of other reviews say, Boba is one of the most adorable and well-behaved dogs I’ve ever met. Interacting with him was a highlight of the trip.
- Space is clean, the walk-in closet is useful for luggage, the desk and monitor is great for working, the private bathroom is truly private.
- Location is great - a few minutes walk from some food options, 15 minute walk to lots of food options and things to do, 15 minute Lyft/Uber to downtown.
Cons:
- The biggest issue was the heat. Seattle was hot while we were staying here, dropping only to the 60s at night. James and Christine kindly let us use a second fan to try to cool the room down, but being on the second floor and having small windows, the room has poor circulation. It got really hot and stuffy at night and neither my girlfriend nor I slept well until the last night, when the weather finally cooled down.
- There’s no way to lock the room from the outside. James and Christine seem like completely trustworthy people, but I would have appreciated the ability to lock our door when leaving the house, especially since they had different friends over a couple times throughout our stay who were there while we weren’t home. Again, no concerns anyone was going to take anything, but it just felt like locking our door should have been an option.
- You are living in their house. This is made very clear in the listing, so it’s not so much a complaint as it is a consideration for anyone thinking of booking this room. They are so welcoming that it makes you feel like you’re staying with a friend. When I stay with my friends, I try to stay out of their way and build my schedule and use of the space around their needs. The difference here is that you’re paying a lot to stay here, so it feels a little weird trying to navigate this dynamic. On the one hand, you want to be a respectful guest, on the other, they’ve chosen to rent this space out and you’re a paying customer, so you want to have a little more freedom. Never once did they say anything that made us feel unwelcome or like we were encroaching - James even gave up his private office for a couple hours when my girlfriend and I had overlapping work calls. Still, things like whispering quietly and feeling bad about being disruptive while eating lunch in the shared kitchen as Christine tries to do her work a few feet away is a dynamic guests should be prepared for.