This was our first time to stay at an Airbnb and it was a very positive experience. The studio townhouse is tucked away in a nice neighborhood in a great area of St. Paul. It is very close to the walking and biking paths that border the Mississippi River and it’s also only about a 10 minute walk to the little downtown area of Highland Park, which contains wonderful restaurants, salons, a great coffee shop (Quinxotic), frozen yogurt bar, a few bars, and some local shops as well as a Target Express and Walgreens. So we LOVED the location and the quick access to so many parts of St. Paul and the Twin Cities! The townhouse is fairly small, but it has a cozy feel and it is very clean and the furnishings are nice. When we arrived there were lemon poppyseed scones on the bar, some homemade granola, and there was yogurt in the fridge. Whenever we needed to communicate with the caretaker, Lisa, she was always prompt to reply and friendly.
I would like to share a few pieces of information to future travelers considering this Airbnb as it is information that would have been helpful to me to know.
1. While the posting says “Parking is on premise”, the parking is actually on the street in front of the main house and then you have to walk down the driveway, past the detached garage that is set back from the house, and the townhouse is connected to the backside of the garage. It’s a short walk and the neighborhood is quiet and safe, but I still think it’s something for future renters to know.
2. While the posting says it has air-conditioning and heat, which it does, it is NOT central heating or air conditioning. The air conditioning is a small window air conditioning unit in the upstairs loft (bedroom). The heating is provided by two built-in little heater units (like space heaters). One is in the living room wall by the front door and the other is in the bathroom wall. We were at this Airbnb in early June when temperature were fairly mild (70’s and low 80’s) so we felt comfortable temperature-wise by running the window air contioner, but I do think it could be challenging for the little window unit to cool the whole townhouse in the heat of summer when the temps are in the high 90’s and humidity is high. I also wonder if the two little heater units will be able to keep the townhouse warm enough in the bitterly cold Minnesota winter months.
3. The ceilings are low in this townhouse in the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. I am only 5’1” and I could touch the ceiling in all three rooms. My guess is that the ceilings must be only 6½ feet in most places if I could touch them when standing on my tip toes (and in some areas I didn’t even need to stand on my tip toes)....