We travelled from the UK, as a family group of 7 adults, looking for an affordable and comfortable base for a Christmas/New Year stay in New York.
The accommodation was clean, comfortable, well-equipped and very spacious. Our host was very helpful when organising arrival and departure. He was exceptionally friendly, cooperative and very swift to help, when he needed to rectify a minor issue with the property. (We all hope nothing goes wrong on our travels; in reality, what matters more is how problems are resolved when there are issues - Donavan was exceptional.)
We used the property as a base to explore Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg and even travelled directly from the apartment up to the Bronx.
Access to the subway (#3 and L lines) was a 5 minute walk to Livonia or Pennsylvania Avenue. The 20 minute ride into downtown Manhattan was very convenient, and very cheap compared with light transit in other major metropolitan cities.
We flew from London and landed at JFK airport. The property is perfectly positioned for this: a 15/20 minute taxi ride (or there's a public bus). The local supermarket-deli had everything we needed for most of our self-catering, although we often headed out for brunch somewhere closer to the heart of New York.
We were really pleased to have chosen to stay where we did. Those who stay in Manhattan miss out on the flavour, sights and feel of the wider New York community.
The outer suburbs of Brooklyn have had a unfair reputation (that really dates back to the 1980s): it's clearly not the most affluent community, but it is clean and the houses are well-maintained. The immediate area bounded by Livonia Ave, New Lots Ave and Pennsylvania Ave is comfortable to walk any time of day or night.
We were greeted warmly by our neighbours and needed to be no more careful than the 'street smart' behaviour that comes with travelling to any new city.
Strongly recommended as a serious option for anyone travelling to New York who is looking for a good amount of space, at a sensible price, conveniently located in what we came to understand as the real New York!