This was a different Airbnb experience for us since we never met our host. She had warned us when booking that she was going to be away for a wedding and ensured we were ok with that. We agreed.

However, she was welcoming using text messages and responded quickly to our one question, and we had everything we needed to get into the house.

The apartment is as advertised and perhaps even nicer than the pictures. The quality of the finishing is impressive, especially the bathroom. It is kind of a lower level (house is built on a hill) but you would not know it since the light is great. The apartment is well equipped, the refrigerator is of good size and she'd stocked it nicely to permit us coffee the first morning, and everything but one blind worked fine (though we chose not to try the gas fireplace without her being there, for fear of having problems - she'd left instructions but we would have liked a demonstration of the pilot light lighting).

The good: The bed is very comfortable, the shower wonderful, she has a good collection of CDs of local artists and she included some very good information on restaurants and music venues with a map. There is also a hot tub but we did not try it (the weather in the evenings was not nice enough to try and again, because she wasn't there, we were not quite sure where it was - I'm sure she would have walked us through it by text, had we asked). There was a security system that made us feel safe.

The not so good: Cooking a meal can be a challenge. There is a microwave and a toaster oven which suffice nicely for warming things but there is only a one ring induction stove, small pots and no venting. So the one meal I made had to be done in 3 stages and on low temperatures to avoid too much smoke.

There was also one blind that could not be opened and the system of closing blinds higher than the sensor was a bit finicky.

The 'it depends': The location is great in that it is in a nice neighborhood, great for walking, quite close to the intersection of highways I5 and I90 and not far from large streets Rainier, and Martin Luther King Jr. However, if you do not have a car and are not physically able to walk to the light rail (a few blocks and some large hills), using the local buses located close by might mean long commutes.

There was no bathtub which might be an issue if staying longer.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay and would stay again. We would want her there though to fully enjoy the fireplace and hot tub.

Paul & Moyra (Ottawa Canada)