Clean, charming, comfortable and spacious place for a short stay in Seattle. We were a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens) visiting for the first time. Summer visitors note - no air conditioning but fans provided.
Ali’s place is a historic townhouse and it matched the description perfectly. Though it appears quite small, it makes great use of the space and really could sleep up to 7 people! Our teens slept upstairs in the split-level bedroom and we slept downstairs. The extra pullout sofabed in the living area also gave us a spacious place to all hang out and relax together.
Check-in was a breeze using the electronic code on the door. This made it easy for anyone in our group to come and go as we didn’t need to mess around with sharing keys. Ali’s communication in preparing us for our trip was great - if anything it was more information than we needed as everything was very intuitive and easy to use!
The townhouse had all the basics as well as many extras that made it really comfortable and convenient - plenty of extra towels (great for a family with teenagers and long-haired people!) and large family-size body wash, shampoo, conditioner available to use. The beds were clean, comfortable and the linens were thoughtfully chosen and harmonious with the decor which made it feel luxurious and homely (unlike many Airbnbs where you feel you’ve been given random discarded homewares from the host’s own home).
The laundry room (a shared space in the basement) was so useful to have, as Seattle was a midpoint in our roadtrip visiting multiple cities.
We loved the porch/deck and ate breakfast and dinner outside a couple of times as the weather was so warm when we visited. I also loved it for enjoying my morning coffee before everyone else was awake.
The location was a little out of the main downtown area but was convenient for public transit (Line 1 on the metro is a short walk away and takes you right downtown in about 30 mins). Being the University District the area was probably quieter than normal as we visited during summer (not many students around!) but there were lots of great restaurants and local businesses we appreciated having on our doorstep. Trader Joe’s across the street came in handy for breakfast essentials and snacks, and more than one 24-hour 7-eleven saved the day when we realised we’d forgotten toothpaste. I’d highly recommend Araya’s Vegan Thai, where we got takeout on the first night after a long day of travel - they have an amazing extensive menu of veg options (but surely enjoyable by everyone) and gave us such friendly service. We also frequented Jake’s Coffee daily and even checked out a local Goodwill and picked up a couple of bargains.
The only issue we experienced with the townhouse wasn’t the host’s fault but worth mentioning for anyone visiting in warmer months: we visited in July and it was uncharacteristically warm for Seattle (30C/90F and above) and since homes in this region don’t typically have air conditioning and are designed to be insulated for cold weather, the house was VERY warm during our visit - it actually felt like the heat was on when we arrived. The hosts had however kindly provided several electric oscillating fans which were very appreciated, but it was a bit of a challenge to cool the place down enough to sleep (the fans could be quite noisy, too). The windows did have screens on them though so we were able to leave them open most of the time to get some airflow going. As I said, this was not the host’s fault and they did what they could to prepare/accommodate this unseasonable weather, but something for visitors to keep in mind!
Other than this environmental issue, everything else was just wonderful. I would definitely come back and stay here (especially in winter, knowing it would be very cosy!) and would highly recommend it for a family.