I stayed with Crystal and Sara while relocating to Portland. They took me on hikes, for drinks, to brunch, sightseeing, and patiently answered all the dumb questions a Southerner moving to the west coast could dream up to pester them with. They're my new Portland BFFs and I feel a lot more at home here now because of them. The only complaint I have is that they were too awesome and I didn't want to leave.

Oh and the house is beautiful, the room is nice and private and gets really dark and cool, which I loved, and the bed is SUPER comfy. Thanks guys!!

Crystal and Sarah are really nice. I texted Crystal when I was in the airport going to Portland. She immediately responded and asked me how I was going to get from the airport to her place. I told her that we were planning on taking the Lyft and she informed me that Portland didn't have Lyft! Ultimately, she kept in contact to make sure that my friend and I got to her place safely via public transportation.

We were about an hour late with our expected check-in time. We arrived around 1AM (Sorry Crystal!!!!). Despite interrupting her sleep (I would've been grumpy!), she still welcomed my friend and I and gave us an orientation of her place.

The bedroom is in the basement. It can get stuffy, because there aren't any windows; so a fan is provided. The room is cozy with lots of information about Portland. The house is overall really clean and comfortable.

Public transportation is close by, so you could essentially take the bus to downtown and explore.

Listing was accurate. Host was friendly. Neighborhood was ideal. We had a good time, thank you.

I've never been so torn about writing a review on airbnb... I hate to have to leave a negative review, but considering all the amazing places I've stayed on airbnb in the past, it's difficult to leave things unsaid (Note: I'm not a seeker of luxury 5-star hotels. I've camped for days on end in very rustic situations, but for more than $200 for 4 days, I would have happily paid a little more or even less to stay somewhere else) In all honesty, this is why...

The room: It smelled of musty mold or that similar to a vintage store smell. Obviously, it's in the basement of the house with no window, but the host's roommate was gracious enough to bring down a fan so that I could get some air-circulation in there. There were unsightly, unknown stains all over the carpet- which isn't THAT big a deal unless it's from a lack of cleanliness (not sure) But I did spy a rodent catcher or roach motel or whatever under the table in the corner the morning after I felt creepy crawly on my arm in the dark while I was sleeping. Also, the floor board just above the room that leads to the bathroom CREEKS LOUDLY anytime anyone walks by, so if you're a med to light sleeper, good luck. NOT ideal. You could never tell from the photos. Luckily I was mostly out of the house for work and exploring. If all you care about is leaving your stuff somewhere and having a bed to sleep indoors, I guess it's suffice. But I kick myself for not choosing some of the other options I was leaning towards in this area because i thought this room was portland-kitschy. The rest of the house was totally fine. Nice even.

The vibe: I admit there was some complications due to the fact that my dog-sitter canceled less than 24 hours of me driving to portland from SF. Not my fault, although I take full responsibility... I had to bring her along with me. We got there in the evening, so I was planning on letting her sleep in my car (just a few hours) until I dropped her off the next morning. (We've been roadtripping just a few weeks before, so I know my pup would've been ok sleeping in the car) but the host INSISTED she sleep inside for the night. But after that, I really did not feel welcome at all, except the OBVIOUSLY forced and bare minimum courtesies. Overall pretty passive aggressive (which is a first time EVER from a host on airbnb for me) Not a HUGE deal, because I like to do my own thing, but as a host on airbnb totally NOT ok. I even heard the host and her boyfriend arguing one night (you can hear every noise down in the basement even if you dont want to) Awkward. Again, NOT ideal. Her roomie Sarah was very pleasant tho.