Truly a home away from home

The flat was ok, but not elegant. There is no private entrance and no dining area. We stayed there with four adults and found no place to have lunch, what means we had to sit on the living room sofa around a small couch table in front of the sofa. If you stay there with two people it might be ok. The bathroom is very small and without a window. We could not open the windows in the flat and it was very noisy on the streets outside.
The area around the house is quite ugly and dirty, but the family is nice and very friendly.
No taxi driver kows the way to this address. We always went by subway. the best thing is that it is only a short way to the subway station. There you find some stores and a supermarket, but no restaurants.

The apartment is exactly like it is in the photos and has everything you could possibly need. It is so close to the subway which takes you straight into Manhattan. I would recommend getting the L train to Bedford Ave in Brooklyn where there are loads of nice restaurants and bars.
Cheryl and Mark couldnt be more helpful and we always on hand if we had any questions. The area is pretty quiet at night, so its good for sleeping unlike Manhattan where I have stayed before and there is always street noise throughout the night.
Definitely a different experience than staying in Manhattan, and something everyone who visits New York should do!

Stayed for one week at this apartment. We flew into JFK from Amsterdam, and after the usual long delay at immigration, we were very late arriving in New York. Finding a taxi driver who knew directions still further delayed us but luckily for us, our hostess Cheryl was waiting for us at the door. We were very impressed that Cheryl had been kind enough to get us in basics like bread, milk and an evening meal for us .

The apartment itself is on the 3rd floor of a townhouse. It is very tastefully, decorated, well-equipped and with adequate sleeping for 5 people, 2 double beds (one sofa bed) and a single bed in the small bedroom. If you wanted to eat in then you could easily, but hey, you're in New York...

The apartment is quite literally a stone's throw from Ralph Avenue station, which is 20-25 minutes from the centre of Manhatten, the one train will take you all the way in. The trains run regularly all day and evening so there wasn't much hanging about to do.Though if you want to explore the 'real' New York, then make sure to spend some time in Brooklyn, where the shopping and choice of food, is far more reasonable and genuine.

Overall impression is that you would do well to chose this over any of the over-priced, over-rated hotels in Manhattan, particularly if you want to experience the real taste of NY.

So thanks to both Cheryl and Mark for making us feel welcome and letting us stay. The true acid test is to say, "Would I stay here again and would I recommend it to my friends or family?"

The answer quite simply is "yes, unequivocally, to both.

We came to Brooklyn to look at the Pratt Institute for our daughter as a possible college choice. We are glad we decided to stay in Brooklyn. We loved the downtown area, the transportation museum, great restaurants and the subway convenience. Mark and Cheryl were most helpful and made sure our accomodations were satisfactory. Brooklyn is a multicultural city with a lot of diversity, a true melting pot of humanity, we enjoyed each day and look forward to another visit soon. Our daughter decided not to attend the Pratt Institute, but as we found out from Mark, being a Virginia Tech Hokie is a good thing also! Perhaps Grad School in Brooklyn?

We really enjoyd our stay at this apartment. Its fully equipped with all the necessities. We stayed here for one week in Dec and it was very nice to come back to a warm apartment after spending the day out.We recommed this place for all kind of people.The Subway is right around the corner. Mark and Cheryl are very friendly and nice.

My friends and I stayed here for a long weekend in New York and it was great.

The apartment was clean and had enough space for all of us to be comfy. It was just like staying at a friends place - everything we needed was there.

The apartment was so close to the subway - it was great for first timers to New York. It was only about 20 mins to Manhatten and just about everything we wanted to see.

I parked my car outside of the apartment while there and didn't have any trouble either - just make sure you are on the right side of the street for street cleaning.

Some tips for first timers in New York: check out the New York Pass - it got us into just about everything free and let us skip lines - definitly worth the investment. The second one was to make sure to buy the unlimited subway pass for however long you are in the city - you'll be riding the subway a lot!! And one last thing - don't forget your comfy shoes - they will become infinetly more important to you then you realize :)

Happy New Yorking!

My husband and I arrived on election day to a warm welcome from Cheryl, Mark and family. The apartment was easy to find and right next to the subway so we had no hassle at all arriving after a 20 hour journey. The apartment was lovely and had everything that we needed for our stay. We couldn't have been in a better place to experience the excitment of Obama's historic election win as the whole neighbourhood had a buzz about it. I would definatley reccomend this apartment as it gives you a real life experience of what it's like to live in New York City. The owners are great people and can't do enough for you. Thanks Cheryl and Mark for a great holiday!

My initial review did not make it for some reason, and that is a pity because my family and I enjoyed our stay immensely. The apartment is clean and roomy (especially by New York standards). Cheryl and Mark are friendly and knowledgeable--I am not exagerating when I call them Mr. and Mrs. Brooklyn Ambassadors. And Brooklyn! Far exceeded my expectations. Fantastic museum. Beautiful parks. Coney Island was fun--even in October. I would recommend this for the real New York experience and I would easily stay here again, without a doubt.