There were pros and cons to this Airbnb, but honestly, mostly cons. The locations was an old (early 1900s) apartment building… which I didn’t realize from the description for the Airbnb. If I had known, I would have opted for a more modern, comfortable, clean Airbnb or hotel. Super disappointed in being fooled by the professional photos.
(For context, my fiancé and I were in town celebrating our anniversary).
There is no apartment parking, you have to park on the street (it was easy to find street parking nearby).
When you enter the building, the stairs leading up to our apartment were covered in old green carpet that looked like it hadn’t been properly cleaned in ages, covered in dirt and leaves tracked in form outside. Immediately I started to question the professional photos I’d seen on the Airbnb listing and wondering if I’d made a mistake. Parts of paint was chipping off and the apt just generally looked old and slightly unclean.
There is no central heating in the apt, which immediately set me on edge because it’s late November in Portland and I get cold very easily. The bathroom sink didn’t drain properly and leaked (we had to use the kitchen sink to brush our teeth…). Because there’s no central hearing, we ran the unit in the kitchen all three days nonstop to keep the apt warm and it never reached past 70 degrees. Because of the constant heating the apt started to smell musty (we didn’t want to open the window due to the November cold).
Small things made the stay just OK, and even disappointing… the couch was super uncomfortable and cheap… overall the decor felt like it was from a college apartment (cheap IKEA furniture, Goodwill art - the bad kind). The bedding was not great and made me wonder last time comforter was cleaned… and the pillows were stained with yellow sweat spots (so gross). The towels were old and scratchy, and you only get two for your whole stay. There are no hair dryers in the bathroom, they are a “communal” good that is supposed to be shared and kept in the hallway drawers… well, I wasn’t able to find it the first night and Margot did not respond to my text asking if there was an extra (this is in sub 45 degree Portland weather, no way I’m going outside with wet hair). The wifi was slow, so we couldn’t stream Netflix without it buffering every few minutes.
Truly the only pro was the location. We loved the neighborhood, and it’s walking distance to many great restaurants.
Oh, and when you leave, you have to strip all the sheets and put everything in laundry hampers. Talk about a relaxing vacation stay!
For the cost, this is a subpar value. I would recommend looking at hotels nearby or other Airbnbs. Disappointed and will be booking hotel next time we’re visiting Portland. Don’t let the professionally lit photos fool you.