Clean, spacious, quiet, comfortable, convenient -- this is a fantastic place to stay! The pictures don't do it justice. It's a full converted upstairs floor of a house - two bedrooms, a dining space and kitchenette and private bathroom with shower. There's an apartment-size refrigerator and microwave, a coffee pot and a sink to wash the dishes. We felt like we had our own little two-bedroom apartment in Portland for five nights for less than the cost of a very basic hotel room downtown.

Ali and David were wonderful hosts, always helpful and accommodating. David even lent me a raincoat for our outdoor outings. We really enjoyed a late-evening conversation with the two of them; it was one of the highlights of our trip. And it was a comforting touch of home to get to know their two cats.

We rented a car from the airport and were at the house in less than 15 minutes at a very easy pace. We didn't use the second bedroom, but it had a beautiful window with lots of light, so we often left the door open and enjoyed the view of treetops next door. It's only three short blocks from McMenamins Kennedy School ( http://www.mcmenamins.com/427-kennedy-school-home ) with a restaurant, pubs, a beautiful outdoor patio and a small movie theatre ($3 admission!). There is a great New Seasons market within easy walking distance. A bit further down there's the Alberta Arts district. And the house is only 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Portland by car.

One of the great things about Portland is that each neighborhood has its own collection of pubs, restaurants, art galleries, bakeries and more, so each neighborhood is unique and interesting. You can spend a lot of time just exploring everything within walking distance. David and Ali's is also the perfect place to just curl up and read a book while listening to the rain outside your window.

We would stay here again in a heartbeat. There are still more parts of the neighborhood we'd like to explore and we'd love to get to know David and Ali better.

This was our first experience using AirBnB and we will definitely use this service again. What a great way to get to know people in other places and have a much more homelike experience when traveling.