I have only written 1 less-than-glowing review on Air BnB before. This is the 2nd.
I paid more 150 bucks/night all told for this place. And for that this place is fine but not better than fine. I should have just stayed in a hotel for that price.
Pros:
-Very spacious
-Mostly pretty clean
-Excellent host - great communication, very clear instructions, very accommodating
-Adequate amenities (fridge, lots of Hershey kisses candy, tea) but no iron, which was a problem since I was there for a wedding and needed to iron a shirt
-Attractive but sparse furnishings
-Pretty easy access to Max train to PDX
-Walkable to downtown and Pearl (see below, though)
-Very conveniently walkable (15 minutes) to Slabtown, Downtown, and the Pearl district
-5 minutes to decent restaurants, shopping, and bars, 2 blocks from Trader Joe’s
Cons:
-Tired old stairwell (reminding me of a college house I lived in) leading you up 3 flights to the flat
-Workmen wandering along said stairwell during work hours (seriously on Thursday and Friday I kept having to maneuver around them)
-Had to hang one of the two towels provided on the bathroom window for privacy - get some blinds or a curtain please!
-Only had a full-size comforter on the bed and no top sheet or other light blanket so couples may be bummed - I got cold, in fact
-Hot water quickly ran out the morning I left
-Immediate area felt slightly unsafe to me (single women tourists may not feel safe)
-It’s located on a super busy street that had serious traffic backed up on it on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday so we are not talking about a pleasant Portland side street (of which there are many nearby)
-Super sketchy walking journey to/from Downtown and Pearl areas (the homelessness situation in Portland is tragically horrible and a lot of it is concentrated around the 405 and on Burnside, both of which are nearby this house)
This place Is just a few blocks from some quaint, ‘nice’ parts of of this side of Portland but those few blocks’ distance apparently matter.
For the 4 nights I was there I could have stayed at an upscale hotel downtown for about $125 more total and I should have done that instead of chasing the deal. Or I could have stayed across the river in Buckman or some other neighborhood for much less (but it would have been much less convenient)
But if you are a single dude or young couple who will spend most of your time in this area or Slabtown or if you just don’t care about any of the things I mentioned then this place may be a good fit for you. It wasn’t for me.