PLUSSES

This unit is a perfect example of Airbnb's marketing slogan, "Don't visit, live there." It is located in Southeast Portland in the midst of 100+ year old homes and other buildings. This basement unit is fairly well updated; not upscale but quite comfortable in most regards. The full sized kitchen appliances were a big plus. The separated bedrooms also worked well for us. The bathroom and kitchen area is co-located with one bed in a studio apartment style unit. The other bed is completely apart from this area. I tend to use the bathroom during the night and wake early, my wife does not. I was able to turn on the lights, make the coffee and other morning activities without disturbing her.

The area is as quirky as the apartment. It seemed like there were more locals riding bikes than driving. Commerce in the area is about 90% local-one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants. There is an occasional Starbucks or Safeway but you'd have to be looking for them and I recommend enjoying the local stuff instead.

MINUSES

One detraction that surprised us is the lack of a bathroom sink or vanity. After arriving I went back to check the Airbnb listing to see if that had been highlighted. I couldn't find it in the property description but in the reviews I did find a few comments about it. Most of those reviews brushed it off saying that the kitchen sink was just a couple of steps away. That's true but we didn't find the kitchen sink to be a suitable substitute. First, there is no mirror over the kitchen sink so shaving or applying make-up didn't work well. We also found it disconcerting to spit our toothpaste where we wash the dishes. In spite of all the other pluses this unit offers, the lack of a vanity/sink would prevent us from coming back.

Another detraction for us is no cable TV. This was listed in the ad but you had to pull down the full list of amenities to see it. The basic page just says the TV is included. We assumed TV included cable and didn't look deeper. Live and learn.

SPECIAL COMPLIMENT

One note about the owner/managers (Heidi and her son). There was a glitch with the cleaning crew and our unit was not serviced prior to our arrival. They discovered the problem on their own and were quick to apologize and remedy the situation, including a generous refund. They really came through to identify and resolve a problem...A+ for that.