Without question, this was the most comfortable and lovely modest-priced apartment I've ever rented from VRBO or AirB&B. Everything is newly decorated in Black and Grey, with attractive wall decor in b&white tones. The rooms are spacious and nicely furnished in minimalist style (my personal favorite) and the kitchen is so well -equipped one could host a huge cookout/gathering. Frankly, I could happily move in tomorrow permanently, though my dog would miss her large yard. My stay here was accompanied by substantial wind and rain, which made the three heaters struggle a bit. Under normal circumstances, that would not be an issue. I did miss having a bathroom heater (and no grab bar in the tub area) but the huge bath towels were a fabulous compensation. My rental car was a bit wider than my customary Prius, but I could carefully park it on the narrow slanted driveway with no significant difficulty. Street parking was limited, so I was delighted with the off-street parking space. As for the neighborhood, I don't understand the occasional complaint by other renters as I found it quite comfortable and similar to my own home area. Last, I had no real interaction with my hosts as everything worked beautifully. The pre-arrival correspondence was timely and thorough, and the welcome fresh flowers were a splendid bonus. Thanks to the hosts for a great and altogether too-brief stay.

We just stayed for 10 nights while the bathrooms in our condo are being renovated. The place was lovely. It is furnished and supplied beyond almost all of the multiple VRBO and ABNB places we have stayed, and even has a coffee grinder. The owner lives upstairs and was extremely responsive and accommodating. While the neighborhood could be viewed as a little gritty (I grew up in the area and it's always been that way), it has supermarkets, restaurants and coffee shops and that make the place very convenient. All in all, a very nice place to settle while living away from our home.

This rental went above and beyond expectations. The decor, fixtures, furniture etc was all really nice. The neighborhood is quiet and centrally located. Owner is super nice and accommodating, and price is affordable.

This is a charming VRBO! We stayed here last month (Sept./2023), but new to VRBO & had to learn to navigate site--didn't send me notice to leave review, thus delay. --This is the perfect VRBO place for any budget. Property owners are polite, kind & just a text away. We met the husband, he was great! His wife (lister) is just as awesome and accomodating. They live upstairs. We ended up not bringing our corgi on this part of our trip & owner promptly refunded difference. As for the place, it really is an awesome space. I wish we had time to utilize the backyard to its fullness, it's charming! The VRBO listing itself is immaculate & decorated nicely. We love that there are 2 bathrooms, lots of storage, & it's just an all around hidden gem. We saw complaints about the driveway, but to be honest, that can be just about anywhere, especially in Oakland/San Francisco areas. It has hills and it may be a bit steep, but It wasn't hard to navigate--probably just not what you're used to. We were there to sleep...No one bothered us in the area. We even found a delicious Thai restaurant nearby (less than 2 short blocks away--practically a stone's throw!). Beds comfy, & extra linens easily accessible. We love the kitchen island with everything you need, as well as a cute coffee space in corner. Even the laundry facilities had a cool discreet curtain. I, personally appreciated access to a fan in the bedroom. We would stay here again. Thank you!

Beautifully decorated apartment with a short walk to Lake Merritt. Very good communication with Karina. Enjoyed our stay!

Comfortable home walkable from lake Merritt and restaurants along Lakeshore and Grand Ave. Karina was responsive and flexible, and the check-in process was smooth.

This was a very enjoyable stay!

Booking and communication with the owner was great until the day of check in. We arrived there after a long day trip with 2 toddlers, parking nowhere to be found, where the owner said to park is not parking space and you can’t even open the door to get out of the car and no street parking around. We did not feel comfortable or safe to drive more around the neighborhood. Called and message the owner no response. While my family were waiting in the car on the street, I went to check out the property and when I opened the door the place smelled very bad. One of our kids has respiratory conditions and no way he could have tolerate that kind of strong smile. So we decided to look for place to rest and luckily found a hotel in better neighborhoods.

Only suggestion is to have coffee for patrons. There were tea bags, no coffee.

We loved our stay here! It was so convenient to have baby items provided. The space is large, clean and even walkable to cafes. Definitely would recommend with place to family or friends!

This 1 BR, 1.5 bath apartment has one of the best-equipped kitchens I’ve seen in a vacation rental. If you need more than one bed, the couch converts to a reasonably comfy bed. The free parking is a wonderful perk, but stay at the top of the driveway unless you are very skilled at backing up a narrow hill. 😉 It was easy to get to restaurants and a full size grocery store on foot.

This property was close to our daughter's home thus adding the extra space we needed. Our grandchildren were excited about coming to see us there and enjoyed a special overnight. I did not feel comfortable walking outside at night but could easily walk to restaurants and grocery store during the day. Oakland Museum of California was excellent and an easy walk away.

Wonderful host, and extra helpful when my emails went wacko, (my fault) and I had a meltdown computer Not her fault! She was so easygoing, stayed in touch, above and beyond helpful! Truly! Easy check-in, Beautiful VRBO . Well laid out, with special touches, SO comfortable. Everything we would ever need. Also it was just the 2 of us, the extra bathroom space (shaving, makeup etc) was an extra bonus. Not needed but nice. We didnt cook in but if you did... no problem. We were more the coffee, tea and toast a bagle folks. I loved the little desk in the living area, my husband enjoyed the tv and I could plug in and search& google to my hearts contenton my laptop. Very comfortable bed, fluffy towels and we did use the W&D....thanks! We are a bit on the older side, think grandparents, but Not ole folks. Anyway, the neighborhood was good, questionable and OK! I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. We also didnt stroll around after 6ish. We had also been babysitting And we were Pooped! I liked the options and suggestions from our host and fellow travelers. Just didnt get out and about like we thought we would. One mega Heads Up. Merritt Lake is awesome, still very busy and popular but maybe not like its heyday. Great walking, great park, wish we'd enjoyed it more. And... And...if you have kiddos or grands like us. Do Not Miss Fairyland Park! Funky 1950's Magical " do not miss" Adventure! For the young, the young at heart who have a fondness for the 50's and

Karina's apartment near Lake Merritt, Oakland, is clean, charming, spacious, functional, well equipped, comfortable, and centrally located in East Bay. Karina is highly responsive and works with tenants to accommodate their needs. A great stay!

We had some work being done on our place and needed to temporarily vacate near our home. Karina was super accommodating and made us feel right at home. We will be back!

We have had a wonderful experience staying at Karina’s place! The place is clean, with updated amenities, and is conveniently located. Karina is very accommodating and responsive. We had our 1yr old with us and I asked if she had a pack n play that we could use… when we got there, not only did she provide that, we had a high chair waiting for us, baby dishes, toys; she even baby proofed by putting plugs into the outlets! Wow, way beyond our expectations! Thank you so very much for your hospitality, Karina.

Really enjoyed this stay, nice neighborhood for walks and close to Lake Merritt. Owner shared restaurant recommendations including a great Lao/Thai spot a couple of blocks away.. Hope to return!

Very clean and well kept property. Check in process was easy and Karina was quick to respond. Very cozy place to stay for a few days while I explored San Francisco! Thank you so much!

Comfortable easy and convenient. Just what we needed.

The stay at this property is wonderful and everything is clean! Very bright and airy! Thank you for your prompt responses when we needed something. This property is very relaxing.

This is a large, clean space, but owner lives upstairs and is not particularly quiet on a Saturday night. (I arrived a day into my reservation so don’t know how noisy the place was on the Friday night I was scheduled to check in. And I suppose it old have been worse, since I innocently chose SF Pride Weekend for my arrival, d’oh!) My other concern involved parking. Owner said to pull all the way into driveway but didn’t mention the steep grade nor narrowness of the drive - the two of which conspired to make getting OUT of the driveway the next morning very harrowing, even in a standard sized (rental) car (Nissan kicks? Is that even a thing?). The neighborhood was pretty much what I wanted/expected - quiet, diverse - but I did feel the need for a car in order to get out & explore Oakland, this part of the city being much hillier than I expected and there being no obvious bodegas/restaurants/coffee shops nearby. Fortunately I found street parking for my two remaining nights, and felt perfectly safe walking from car to front door & getting inside, even after dark. The electronic key system and tub, while not entirely obvious to me, did function fine. However there were no instructions for the coffee maker, so I made do w Diet Coke in the AM. Thanks, Karina, and sorry I can’t leave a five star review.

This is a large, clean space, but owner lives upstairs and is not particularly quiet on a Saturday night. (I arrived a day into my reservation so don’t know how noisy the place was on the Friday night I was scheduled to check in. And I suppose it old have been worse, since I innocently chose SF Pride Weekend for my arrival, d’oh!) My other concern involved parking. Owner said to pull all the way into driveway but didn’t mention the steep grade nor narrowness of the drive - the two of which conspired to make getting OUT of the driveway the next morning very harrowing, even in a standard sized (rental) car (Nissan kicks? Is that even a thing?). The neighborhood was pretty much what I wanted/expected - quiet, diverse - but I did feel the need for a car in order to get out & explore Oakland, this part of the city being much hillier than I expected and there being no obvious bodegas/restaurants/coffee shops nearby. Fortunately I found street parking for my two remaining nights, and felt perfectly safe walking from car to front door & getting inside, even after dark. The electronic key system and tub, while not entirely obvious to me, did function fine. However there were no instructions for the coffee maker, so I made do w Diet Coke in the AM. Thanks, Karina, and sorry I can’t leave a five star review.

We have no criticism of this property and found it met all our requirements. We especially appreciated its scrupulous cleanliness, comfortable furnishings and included equipment. It seemed to have been recently remodeled, tastefully decorated and effectively secured. The neighborhood was quiet, convenient to freeways and close to grocery shopping. We will try to schedule a return visit when we return to Oakland.

We have no criticism of this property and found it met all our requirements. We especially appreciated its scrupulous cleanliness, comfortable furnishings and included equipment. It seemed to have been recently remodeled, tastefully decorated and effectively secured. The neighborhood was quiet, convenient to freeways and close to grocery shopping. We will try to schedule a return visit when we return to Oakland.

Our stay here could not have been better. Karina was delightful to work with and she made everything very easy for us. The condo was spacious and nicely furnished. The kitchen had everything we needed and more. We walked to the lake every morning and used the Lucky grocery store which was on our way, when needed. We felt safe here, and having a parking space was a bonus. We have stayed in many VRBO properties here and in Europe, and have never had such an easy check out.

Gritty neighborhood. It’s on the lower level of a duplex. Upstairs neighbor is quiet though. The bed is small for 2 people but very comfy. That said, once you’re inside, it’s very nice.

Gritty neighborhood. It’s on the lower level of a duplex. Upstairs neighbor is quiet though. The bed is small for 2 people but very comfy. That said, once you’re inside, it’s very nice.

This location was perfect for our family of 3. Great location near Bart and lots to do in Oakland. Highly recommend the Saturday Farmers Market, easy walk and amazing find. Karina was amazing to work with and super helpful. Will stay again!

I stayed here over the Christmas holiday to have my own home base while visiting family, and this place was great. Karina is super responsive, the apartment is spacious, clean with modern design and features, and even offers a great kitchen for preparing your own meals or dishes to take to the holidays :) I would highly recommend this property to anyone seeking a quiet neighborhood in Oakland with close access to plenty of amazing restaurants, outdoors activities, and public transportation.

I stayed here over the Christmas holiday to have my own home base while visiting family, and this place was great. Karina is super responsive, the apartment is spacious, clean with modern design and features, and even offers a great kitchen for preparing your own meals or dishes to take to the holidays :) I would highly recommend this property to anyone seeking a quiet neighborhood in Oakland with close access to plenty of amazing restaurants, outdoors activities, and public transportation.

This apartment is newly remodeled with a beautiful spacious kitchen. We were very comfortable during our two week stay and Karina very responsive to our needs.

This apartment is newly remodeled with a beautiful spacious kitchen. We were very comfortable during our two week stay and Karina very responsive to our needs.