Located in Lyon Park, an up and coming neighborhood in Durham with easy access to local shopping, eating, coffee houses-this three bedroom two bathroom bungalow with a fenced-in back yard is a perfect place to stay. The warmth of the exposed brick, hardwood floors and original wood ceilings complements the modern kitchens & baths. Has the latest in lighting and technology. Netflix ready. Fully stocked kitchen. Washer & dryer available for use
Pros: The property was clean, well-stocked, functional, and located in a convenient part of town if you need quick access to downtown Durham. The property was stocked with common necessities (shampoo, food seasonings, clothes iron, hairdryer, etc.). The only things missing were coffee creamer and tea, but I was able to get those things nearby. The main bedroom was perfect for a typical family of 4 - it had a bathroom inside the room with a very nice double shower. This was my first BNB experience, and Iâm pleased to say the least.Cons: I had to contact the owner myself to receive the door code after the check-in time. One of the bedrooms (the one with two twin daybeds) was really a front office/sunroom with French doors leading directly from the living room, and the doors didnât have any sort of privacy screen or curtain installed. The main bedroom fan didnât work.
Property was very clean and nice. I can tell that it has been well taken care of. The host was fast at answering my questions and addressing my concern. I am looking forward to another stay.
We visited our daughter in Duke University. The home was so clean, totally renovated. Owner was very cooperative. Only thing we can suggest that owner can add more stool for dining.
Overall it was great, pretty tight for 7 though. Here's my thoughts:
A primary reason we chose this house is the proximity to downtown. We were able to walk to the Durham Performing Arts Center for a show we were attending, and there were restaurants and bars to choose from along the way.The listing advertises that this house sleeps 11, but we wouldn't recommend with such a large group. There were seven of us, and the sleeping arrangements were tight. If I had the power to make changes, I would cover the glass of the glass door bedroom with faux etched glass privacy film. I would also place a bunk bed with a double size bottom bunk in there, instead of the separate twin beds. This would have more comfortably accommodated the three couples in our group without diminishing the number of beds. There are two pull out couches, but we never saw any sheets for them. It's possible this could have been solved by asking the host, and I admit we did not ask.Plenty of extra towels available, which we also really appreciated having stayed in houses without enough before.Kitchen equipment did not let us down.The place really, really, needs more seating though. As it is, there is only seating for about 4 people in the living room, and you would have to commandeer every barstool and desk chair in the house to seat 11 people. We wished there was another couch or more squeezed into the living room.
On the days prior to our scheduled arrival we attempted to contact the owner to get the key code information to enter the house. We received no reply to numerous attempts. After we arrived, and after numerous texts and phone calls we heard back from the property manager around 8:00 p.m... they had no record of our pending arrival. The manager (to be fair) was very polite and worked to help us resolve the issue. We were able to get into the rental around 8:30 p.m. (check in is supposed to be at 3:00).
Overall, the furnishings and the amenities were adequate. The bathrooms were very clean; plenty of linens and towels were provided. The glass oven top has a large crack and makes it dangerous to use. The refrigerator is very noisy; it freezes up. The freezer drawer is missing handles and one of the openings has a sharp edge (we felt it necessary to cover this with duct tape to protect small children). The carpet in one of the bedrooms was folded up and posed a tripping hazard (we taped that down as best we could). One of the kitchen stool seats was loose and had to be taped down to use safely.
Having said all of this, and despite these issues, we did enjoy our visit with our family. Durham is a very pleasant city. The house could be (upon correction of the issues mentioned above) an excellent place to stay.
High ceilings, exposed wood & brick. Well designed kitchen with granite, custom counters, stainless appliances. Technology including Google Dots, Wireless cell phone charger, Bluetooth Bathroom Speaker, Smart TVs. Washer & Dryer available for longer stays. Big retreat backyard.