Overall, we greatly enjoyed our stay in Chattanooga and the location of the VRBO was ideal. It's a great neighborhood, and you can hit most attractions in the city on foot and by public transport if you want. There's also excellent parking if you prefer to drive. The size and layout of the apartment is great, but there are a few details that would bring this review from 3 stars to 5 stars if they were fixed:
1. The door. Guests are not provided a key to the front door of the apartment. They must use the back door, which opens directly into a bedroom. This can be a problem if you have some guests in that room going to bed early, other guests coming in later in the night. Note there's a second bedroom, so you can use that one for early sleepers.
2. The door knobs. There's a useless second doorknob on the back door that must be turned at the same time as the locked doorknob, i.e., you need 2 hands to open the door, every time. This is a real pain when you have kids, luggage, groceries, etc
3. The "ick" factor. The apartment is generally neat and tidy, but the kitchen and bathroom are in need of a good, deep clean. There's no obvious mildew or anything, just a general smell that builds up when things are quickly wiped down without being thoroughly scrubbed for a long time. All the silverware and pots and pans had a film on them. The pots smelled like bacon when we boiled water. The stovetop emitted a very foul odor when turned on, like burning chemical cleanser or something. We purchased our own sponges.
4. The towels. I really wish we'd brought our own. The moment they became damp with use, they smelled like deep-rooted mildew. They've probably been left sitting wet in the wash too long, and should be replaced.
5. The shower makes a non-stop, high-pitched whistling sound. This is a real problem if you want to take a shower while other people are sleeping.
