If you’re coming to Portland looking to spend very little time in the house and eat all your dinners out, this may be the place for you. It is in a hip neighborhood close to lots of great restaurants and coffee. If you just need a place to crash, I’d have few complaints about this place.
If you’re a family traveling during covid, this is not a good choice. We were in the area to visit family and were particularly drawn to this place because of the enclosed backyard to have our family over for a meal or to hang out. When we arrived, we realized there was not a single chair in the backyard, even around the fire pit. There was also no table outside to eat at. There is also no table INSIDE to eat at. There is a very narrow “bar” that faces a wall and can maybe accommodate 3 small adults. Otherwise you have to eat your meals on the couch in the small living room.
If you’re looking to cook, keep in mind that this place is not well stocked. We found no measuring spoons, baking trays, measuring cups, ice cube trays, salt, spices, cooking oil, etc. As a host myself for several years, it’s incomprehensible why a host won’t keep such basic, inexpensive things in stock. It’s no big deal and makes such a big difference.
Also, there’s a great local coffee roasting company just a few blocks away, Left Coast Roasters. If, like us, you bought a bag of their beans when arriving to town hoping to brew them in the morning, you’ll be disappointed. There is no coffee pot. Just a bad-for-the-environment Keurig with generic mass produced uninspiring coffee pods. We just bought cups each morning.
The house was generally clean when we arrived though there was a large bamboo stall growing in the middle of the very rickety stairs. I asked the host to cut them back and she had someone do that but this is definitely a place where maintenance is not a top priority. I also found a pack of Juule on a windowsill and someone else’s hat under the couch. Ew.