It’s hard to review Emilia’s Retreat without reviewing DeKoven Suites at the same time. They’re both Victorian houses across the street from each other, Emilia’s at 31 DeKoven Court, and Dekoven at #30.
We stayed at both in the same week; Dekoven Suites didn’t have room for all our days, and Susan, the owner, readily recommended her neighbor, Donna, at Emilia’s. The two of them were helpful in coordinating our visit with each other. They even carried our bags across the street when it was time for us to move.
A word about who we were: four adults and one teenage girl, so we needed two rooms, and were limited to the basement units in both houses. Both were built-in cellars, below ground with just small windows to the outside.
With that intro, here’s the results:
* Neighborhood. The houses are in West Flatbush on the edge of Midwood in Brooklyn. If you’re a racist, you won’t be comfortable, since this is an incredibly ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse neighborhood. Despite the shabby and slightly threatening (at first glance) subway station and the glowering security guard in the Rite Aid, this is a safe neighborhood; the streets are filled with people. Dekoven Court is a short walk from the subway station, and it couldn’t be more convenient. Dekoven Court itself is a dead end street of Victorian and newer houses that abuts the open-air subway tracks. There’s a lot of cheap ethnic food in the immediate neighborhood, and within a half-mile, there are a couple of excellent (and moderately priced, for NY) yuppie restaurants.
* Noise. The street is quiet. As a dead end, there’s no through-traffic. You do hear the subway trains go by during the night, especially if you keep the small windows open and aren’t using the air conditioner. But the subways quickly became white noise, and we didn’t have any noise issues sleeping.
* Transportation. Depending on whether you hop an express train or a local, it’s about 30-45 minutes to midtown Manhattan. Unless you’re comfortable and familiar with the subway, you’re better off taking a cab from JFK to the houses (about $45-$50), especially if there are three or more people. Returning, you can take a car service ($35). Being familiar with New York, we took the subway from JFK, and had to change trains three times (the air train to Howard Beach being the first leg). Note: The air train costs an extra $5. Alternatively, you can take the air train to Jamaica, then switch to the Long Island Railroad to Atlantic ($5.25), then switch to the subway. The subway route on a Saturday took us about two hours, due to track construction. Coming from LaGuardia, I wouldn’t even try to take the bus and subway, since you’d have to change in Manhattan. From Newark, you’ll have to get to either Port Authority Bus Terminal or Penn Station, where there’s a direct connection to the subway with no changes.
* The rooms.
Emilia’s basement is a real apartment, complete with a kitchen, two separate bedrooms, a dining area, a large living room, private bath (walk-in shower only), and a laundry room. The only downside is that it was slightly musty, which wasn’t a big problem once the air conditioning kicked in, and probably won’t be a problem during the winter when the heat is on. (The laundry room, which generated some heat, was perfectly fine.) The beds are comfy. A few corners were somewhat dusty.
Dekoven Suites’ basement is smaller, with only one bedroom, the second bed being a sleeper couch in the living room. There’s no kitchen per se, although there’s a fridge and a microwave; we had to go upstairs to fill the water pitcher. Inexplicitly, the room had some maintenance problems that showed some indifference to guests: The back on one of the kitchen chairs gave way. The toilet seat had splinters around the inside edge. The toilet handle felt like it was coming off. One of the dining area’s fluorescent bulbs was out. We had to ask for a box of facial tissue. There were complicated directions for using the floor-model air conditioner, and the guests were expected to empty the bucket of condensation water. The bed sheets were so thinly woven that I could see my hands through them. As with Emilia’s we could use the washing machine, which was in the bathroom.
* The amenities.
Donna, Emilia’s owner, invited us to use the computer upstairs whenever we wanted to check our e-mail or print our boarding passes. She has an ultra-friendly small dog, Trixie, who isn’t shy about asking guests to play with her. She welcomed us into her home, and shared her knowledge and life without making us feel that we were imposing. When there was a miscommunication about our reservations, she gave us a refund on the spot. The breakfasts featured fresh bagels, each day from a different nearby bakery, as well as any other breakfast food we could think of. She also provided packaged desserts for snack food at night. When we left, we hugged each other, because there was a bond. This is a calling for Donna, not just a business.
Susan, Dekoven Suites’ owner, is friendly and informative, but the relationship was professional, rather than personal. Instead of making a computer available to guests—not an unusual amenity in this day and age—Susan printed out our boarding passes for us. I didn’t get the sense that we were allowed to use her computer to check e-mail, etc. Susan recommended and arranged for us a car service to the airport which was on time and reliable. This is a business for Susan, not a calling.
* Price.
We paid $190 a night at Emilia’s for a two-bedroom apartment with great amenities. We paid $225 a night at Dekoven Suites for a one-bedroom “suite” with fewer amenities and minor maintenance problems.
Either is a greater alternative to Manhattan impersonality, and either gives you a chance to feel how real New Yorkers live.
But Emilia’s was a better value, and we’d return there any day.
