For a great price, you get a cozy, quirky place that is quiet and safe. Breakfast is not advertised, but you do expect that B&B means more than bed and bath. The wifi wasn't real great in the room, but was fine in the common area. A few nice little touches: radio on with WQXR (the NY Philharmonic's station), nice soap, good location. And it's fun to tell your friends where you stayed!
When my husband heard the name of the place where I would be staying in NYC, he was a little skeptical. However, all was well. The room was very nice, and the bed wonderful. Lighting for reading was acceptable. The memorable thing about the Flophouse was how quiet it was, inside and outside. I slept with the window open and expected to hear some street noise. None. It was very peaceful. The only negative for me was that the bathroom on my floor did not have a shower, but there was one on the floor below. In the end it didn't matter because I overslept and had no time for a shower before rushing to my appointment. I found the neighborhood to be fine (but don't expect a Starbucks nearby). I stayed here as a woman by myself and felt comfortable. As a bonus for those trying to travel inexpensively, there's a public bus that goes to LaGuardia that is convenient and cheap.
Hello. Thank you for your visit and your review. There IS a Starbucks on the corner of 125th and ACP Blvd. less than a 3 minute walk away. A bit further is Settipani a cafe with Harlem's signature atmospheric stamp. There are two full baths shared by four rooms. The bottom one has a large claw-foot tub with antique shower fixtures. The top one has a smaller cast iron claw-foot tub without a shower. Sometimes guests indulge in the peaceful experience of taking a leisurely bath there especially in the afternoon when nobody is around. I am glad you felt safe walking around Harlem. Most people are not aware of how much it has improved.
I loved the ecclectic atmosphere, the assortment of antiques, the Brownstone neighborhood. It is a quick and easy walk to the subway. The room was comfortable enough, and the overall experience was interesting.
BUT, this is a "B no B", rather than a B & B. Don't expect to see the owner once you have checked in. He appears to busy with other pursuits. As long as you are self-sufficient and have no need for his help in any way, this place will suit you. Kind of like the self check-out lane at the supermarket. I stayed here as a single woman alone, would not do it again.
Stayed 3 nights at the Harlem flop house and we were on the whole very impressed. The flop house was cozy and had a relaxed atmosphere with jazz playing at low level in the rooms. The bedroom was big, nicely decorated and comfortable. One downside was that the bath on our floor was very small, especially for someone my height (6'3), but there was a shower on the floor below that was fine. The flop house is well located with excellent transport links to the majority of sights we wanted to visit on our short break
Overall we enjoyed staying at the Harlem Flophouse. Rene, the owner, has done an amazing job restoring the house, resulting in a quirky, truly unique place to stay where some of the glamour of New York's Jazz Age has been captured. We were warned off staying in Harlem by friends, but having lived in London and Leeds we're used to multi-cultural neighbourhoods and the area is much safer than its reputation would have you believe. Also, it's extremely well connected, being close to the subway for trains to all the major touristy sites in Manhatten.
No TV, and the wi-fi was a bit pants at times, but there are lots of books to read and a radio in the room. Bathroom was very clean and beautifully decorated.
Only downers for us were that the bed was small and quite uncomfortable, and on our first night I had to go and shout at some other guests making a racket at 1am (but that was just the luck of the draw with housemates).
Overall I'd highly reccomend the Flophouse for a cheap-ish, clean, well-connected place to stay.
My friend & I stayed at The Harlem Flophouse the night of New Year's Eve 2012. We just needed a place to crash for a few hours. We had to pay for 2 nights, but this was still cheaper at the last minute than one night anywhere else.
We loved it! The bathrooms were squeaky clean. It felt safe and was very quiet. We met cool Canadians. The only downsides were very minor. For instance, if you are allergic to cats, this is not for you. The cat goes everywhere. And the mattress was kind of thin & hammocky. But we didn't care. Great basic place for calm, quiet, cat lovers to relax and catch a few Zs. It's gorgeous too.
