710 Guest Suites

The 710 Guest Suites have been designed to serve as -- in both literal and figurative terms -- a home-away-from-home. The suites in the five-level brownstone are ideal for small families, with intimate bedrooms for children, spacious master bedrooms, and large common rooms for lounging and dining in each one. Although the decor varies slightly from room to room -- all individually designed by the homeowner -- the house follows a classic design scheme with colorful, worldly accents. There aren't any public spaces, other than the traditional front stoop and small entryway. Wooden stairs look new and landings are decorated with small tables and flowers. Note that there isn't an elevator. 

Although indoors the brownstone is relatively quiet -- except for the occasional rumble of a passing train for those staying in lower rooms -- outside is full of life. 710 Guest Suites is situated in Manhattan's often separately categorized Harlem neighborhood. The Uptown locale -- Harlem starts above the top of Manhattan's sprawling Central Park -- is a community rich with history and culture, having been the site of the influential Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. The blocks surrounding the brownstone are mainly residential, but aside from the plethora of apartment complexes, there are several small businesses, quaint cafes, delis, banks and famous eateries along St. Nicholas Avenue and on the streets nearby. The homeowner leaves a packet of suggested neighborhood restaurants such as Amy Ruth's, Red Rooster, and Harlem Tavern in each apartment. For those who want to venture further down into Manhattan, Central Park is approximately five stops away and bustling Midtown is just a few minutes beyond that by train. Getting around the city is easy, since the nearest train station is right on the corner, less than a minute away, with A, C, B, and D lines.

Although there are five floors, there are only four rentable suites: the Garden Suite, Suite 2 Duplex, Suite 3, and Suite 4, going from the ground up, respectively. Both sitting areas and bedrooms feature sophisticated decor, with full drapes framing long windows, multiple cushy couches, and an excess of pillows (both plain and decorated) on both beds and sofas. With the exception of brightly colored couches and pillows, neutral colors like tans, blacks, whites and slate grays are commonplace in many of the rooms. Neat, gallery-style art pieces and portraits line the walls and double as headboards, several of which are nods to the famed Harlem renaissance. Some rooms are quirkier than others, with animal skin rugs, drum sets, statement wall mirrors, '70s inspired plastic chairs, crafty figurings, fuzzy area rugs, and books upon books about Harlem on tables and bookshelves. As an added charm, several suites have terraces and outdoor sitting gardens with grilling capabilities.

There are a variety of bedding options that vary from room to room, such as twin beds, full beds, queen-size beds, long couches, and extra mattresses in storage closets. Bedroom closets are equipped with hangers, irons, ironing boards, hampers, extra shelving units, extra pillows, vacuums, and other cleaning tools.

Bathrooms here are clean and plentiful, stocked with hairdryers, towels, soap bars, and hand soap pumps. In addition to the bathrooms connected to the master bedrooms, there are small powder rooms and regular bathrooms in the hallways of each suite. In Suites 3 and 4, washers and dryers are located within the bathrooms. Note that lower level apartments can pick up noise and vibrations from the subway. 

Keep in mind that at the end of the day, this is a multi-level house, not a hotel, so features will fall in line with things found in the common home. All suites have kitchens fully stocked with pots, pans, silverware, cutlery, spices, plates, bowls, cups, glasses, kettles, toasters and more. There are also grills available for the suites with terrace access. Each suite has it's own set of laundry machines as well as a dishwasher. Aside from a free bottle of wine, no meals are provided, but the homeowner prepares a neat packet of places to eat in the neighborhood. Free Wi-Fi is also included.