Harlem Vacation Rental apartment

We have just come back from 10 days in this cool little apartment. The place was really easy to find and the owners were very welcoming and friendly. The first impressions of the house were similar to those we felt for the neighbourhood - it was all a little scary at first. The house in which the aparment stands (on the 2nd floor of 3) has a spiral staircase that is ill lit but quite grand, it all feels old and a little tired. There are however various pieces of artwork by the owner that add further character. The apartment is very acturately described. The same bedding and decor were there and this was reassuring. I suppose I was expecting a slightly more modern place there was no DVD player and the bath/shower needs updating. It did pretty much have what we needed and gave us very easy access to other areas of New York mainly via the A train at 145th street which is very close. The room lacks black out curtains and the noise from traffic on the main roads close by took some getting used to but then it appears that New Yorker live with their hand on their car horn.

We rented this listing for 2 weeks, however, when we arrived we were downgraded to another apartment that had NO air conditioning, NO working stove top burner, and NO ironing board. The remote for the tv didn't work either. The sleeping was a queen size mattress on a plywood floor, a futon, and a twin size roll away bed. By not having air conditioning, the heat in the apartment made it very uncomfortable, especially for sleeping. We had the windows open, but that made it feel damp and sticky. In fact, one morning we found a six inch long slug on the bathroom floor. If I knew prior to our arrival that we would NOT be getting air conditioning, I never would have booked with her. Air conditioning is essential for us, and not a luxury.

The owner also neglected to tell us how dangerous the neighborhood was. We had a lot of suitcases, so we took what we could, locked the car, and carried our things to the apartment. We did this several times, but on our last trip, we immediately noticed that the driver's side window was broken, and our digital camera was stolen. The camera was on the passenger floor, and remember, the car was locked. The owner didn't seem surprised, she said that nothing can be left in the car. But what do you do when you're in the process of removing everything? She should have told us to have one person stay with the car until everything was out. After filing a complaint with the police, we wanted to leave. The owner said that if we stayed, she would return some of our money when we left. She said that leaving would only enforce that the thief or thieves, had the upper hand.

After the second day, we never saw her again, even at check out time. We were told to slip the keys in her mail slot. We tried contacting her several times during our 14 day stay, but when we called her number, we got a message to call back, with no opportunity to leave a message. She did not reimburse us for anything.

NYC is a wonderful place, but next time I will NOT be staying in Harlem! I thought this property was more in Manhatten. It's too dangerous for a fifty year old woman with two teenagers. I would NOT recommend this property for anyone.

Everything in this review is true, and factual.