When we arrived, Rachelle greeted us and gave us a tour. The Bungalow was family-friendly and mostly child-proofed for our 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter. There were plenty of toys and board books in the Bungalow, in addition to a pack-and-play crib, potty, a hook-on dining seat, and children’s utensils and dishware in the kitchen.

Our hosts lent us a small yard waste bin to keep in the front yard outside the bungalow, which made it more convenient to empty our compost bin. Upon arrival, we requested a safe place to keep, or lock-up, our bikes. In response, our hosts installed secured hooks which we were able to lock our bikes to :).

As mentioned in the listing, the Bungalow has low ceilings (approximately 7 ft). I think I passed over this detail when reading the listing originally. My husband is 6’7” and could not stand up fully in the shower/bathtub, but overall, he didn’t mind the ceiling height. The listing photos show the furniture in the living room and office in an arrangement which was different than during our stay. We were happy with the layout though. The microwave stopped working during our visit. Rachelle brought us an electric, stainless steel kettle for boiling water, which is what we primarily had used the microwave for. To me, the Bungalow seemed darker inside than it looks in the photos.

The listing mentioned that the WiFi is not super speed, which is true—it’s pretty slow and unreliable at times. Several times during our 1-and-a-half-month stay we could not browse the internet on our desktop, because the WiFi signal was weak (our desktop was set-up on the desk in the office/futon room, which is at the back of the house). The WiFi signal was strongest in the bedroom (at the front of the house), which was inconvenient.

The neighborhood was relatively family-friendly. From the Bungalow it was an easy walk to the #2 bus stop, a duck pond, the library, a couple playgrounds and play areas, and Madrona’s shops. A little further away, but walkable if you have the time and energy, are the arboretum, and in the other direction Leschi (where there is a small but well-stocked grocery store).