I found Ecaterinas using trip advisor, and booked on the phone, for me and my family. In all we had three rooms: one of the suites, and two bedrooms. My impression was mixed, with some very positive, and some very negative points. Since the negative points includes fleas, I have to give the place a bad rating although I would have prefered to give it a better rating.
Breakfast: A1. The best I think I've had at a B&B. Ecaterina made a tasty and well-balanced meal and was amenable to special requests regarding the timing and contents of the meal. When we had to get up early, Ecaterina had breakfast on the table for us at 6:30am. When I asked for milk, she got it for me and provided milk with every breakfast after that without being asked. It didn't stop at breakfast, Ecaterina occasionally offered cocktails in the afternoon if she was making them for herself.
Location: Tops. LA is so spread out that it's not possible to be in the middle of everything, but this B&B is very close to the walk of fame, and several museums. It is also close to many stores and restaurants.
Rooms: The furnishings are new, and the rooms are spacious with lots of natural light. Our bathroom, and particularly the shower were quite small, and the hot water was inconsistent when other people were using it. There is no air conditioning, but this was not a problem. The building itself is rather old, and this was noticeable in the cracking plaster on the ceiling, and the poorly balanced ceiling fan that rocked all night. The house smells bad and the bad smell eminates from the kitchen. The patio is pleasant. You can sit there and pet the cats while watching hummingbirds visit the flowers. It gets less pleasant when Ecaterina and her husband sit there smoking. Fortunately they do not smoke in the house.
Parking: We were promised parking, but often this was in the long driveway which means other patrons had to move their vehicles for us to get out and vice-versa. I also wonder what their neighbors think of their tendency to ask people to park on the lawn.
Payment: The prices she asked for were different than the prices on the web-site. They were cheaper. Based on another reviewer's statement, I suspect that Ecaterina isn't very well-organized or consistent in her pricing. Payment is in cash, and Ecaterina just asked for it in the middle of our stay, because she needed the money. This wasn't a problem for us, but it's not very professional. It also leaves me wondering if the appropriate taxes are being paid.
Politicas and business?: A poem written by Ecaterina and dedicated to President Bush, a form response from the White House, and a photo of the president are framed and hung in a prominent place in her living room. Ecaterina feels it necessary to call her guests' attention to the picture and start a discussion on politics. I would have prefered the topic be left altogether untouched in my vacation.
Cleanliness (flees): The bedding was clean and the bathroom was clean. The carpet was stiff with dirt. That and the cats probably explain the flees. Over the course of our five day stay we saw 10-15 flees. My husband had 15 bites on his legs by the time we left. On the last day we caught one and showed it and my husband's bitten legs to Ecaterina. If she had reacted in such a way as to indicate that she would fix the problem, I would have given the place four stars. Instead she freaked out, said some traveler must have picked up the fleas on the plane or some such and brought them there, implied we had brought the fleas with us, and refused to believe she could have a problem she needed to fix.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
