This place was overall nice. A few things I would have liked to know beforehand...
1. After booking the place, the owner reached out and wanted me to follow a link sent to my email to upload a pic of my license and credit card. I SUPER didn't like this and thought it was really sketch. It almost made me cancel my reservation. The only reason I did it was because the owner said I could cover everything on my credit card except the last four digits of the number. They do this for a verification process I guess. We left the apt 12/21/2021 and no weirdness on my card yet so seems ok.
2. The code that the owner gave me to initially enter the building didn't work and the person at the desk was slightly rude, but we got in. Paid for a parking pass that was supposed to be left in the apartment but was not there (we did get it relatively quickly when I messaged the host). Just kind of little annoyances after being exhausted from traveling all day.
3. Many of the dishes that were put away were dirty and we had to rewash. Normally wouldn't bother me but you pay a cleaning fee so thought I would mention it.
4. This place is clearly used just for renting. There are minimal necessities in the apartment. For example, no body wash, no extra blankets, no conditioner, only two shower towels, no laundry detergent (except what I left). This didn't affect my rating, but I feel is good to know for future guests.
5. There is plenty of street parking. It is $5 a day (from 8 am to 6 pm) and free on nights and weekends. There is an app to pay easily from your phone and many other places in the area and in D.C. use this same app. I paid much more than this for the parking garage and never even used it as the parking garage was on the opposite side of the building from the apt and street parking was always available directly in front of the apt.
The owner is very nice and super responsive (usually within an hour or two of messaging him). He checked on me while we were staying there to see if we needed anything. The area is cute, and just a short drive to Old Town but definitely not walking distance. D.C. is just a short 20 to 30 minute drive (I drove there multiple times throughout my stay). There is a cider brewery next door, which was a bonus for me. Overall, it was a good place to stay, and I would definitely recommend it for those traveling to Alexandria.