Sonder — The Baronne

Wonderful
Traveller Type: family with young children
  : We couldn’t figure out the tv the 1 time we tried, but we weren’t really there that often - mostly to sleep

Very Good
Traveller Type: family with young children
  : Our rental(s) were very clean and nicely, if sparsely decorated with all the kitchen tools needed for a comfortable stay. Both units were just as portrayed in the photographs with one exception: there is very little natural light in either unit (see below). Both were cheerful and bright with electric lights and this worked well for us and sleeping.Apt. 1 is very large and located at street level, with door opening right on to Baronne Street. Apt. G is on second floor behind street door and elevator. Apartment G was quieter and felt more secure.When we called about an issue (see below), the attendant was very, very polite and tried her best to help us resolve the issue. This is important because there is no on-site management.The building is in a very good location. Near but not in the French Quarter. About a block from streetcar and 2 blocks from Canal Street. Easy to walk to FQ and riverfront. Just up the block on Gravier Street is 2 Chicks Cafe. Great breakfast!One last thing I really liked: an electric kettle was in each apartment. I am a tea drinker and used to there being an electric kettle in all rentals in New Zealand where we live. In the USA it is very uncommon to find an electric kettle… Coffee makers galore but usually have to heat up water on the stove or in the microwave. Thank you Saunders for attending to this detail for us tea drinkers!
  : Our big issue was having to move mid-stay d/t an issue with the apartment’s appliances.I said “rental(s)” above because we moved from Apartment 1 to Apartment G on day 2 of a 4 night stay. We were offered the option to move to a different unit when we called about Apartment 1’s dryer malfunctioning - wouldn’t start. We tried to troubleshoot but after 45 minutes & a kilogram of lint/old dryer sheets we had to call. We waited about 10 minutes to get someone on the phone (it was Sunday) but once we did the gal could not get a hold of anybody to see if they could get a repairman in. She offered to move us to another unit in the same building. I wasn’t excited about packing and moving two days into our four day stay but we really needed to finish our laundry! Apartment G was fine - appliances worked fine (we checked before we moved!).Sonder could and should put “check all appliance functioning” on the housekeeping staff’s to do list. It is most inconvenient and annoying to have to move from one unit to another in the middle of a short stay. This was preventable with a little routine maintenance. Apartment 1’s freezer was also much in need of defrosting. It worked fine and dispensed water and ice on the door but inside it was covered with a sheet of ice. We didn’t really need to use the freezer so it wasn’t an issue. Basically, another sign that routine maintenance wasn’t being done on this unit.For us, the lack of natural light wasn’t an issue. A dark apartment at night is very nice for sleeping. If a lot of natural light is important to you, neither of these specific units would be good for you. There is only natural light on the street side of the living room in apt 1 (bedrooms down hall and no skylight) and G has no windows just a large skylight in Living room. We didn’t see any of the other units but I think the rest may have had windows to street. Be sure to ask if this is important to you.

Pleasant
Traveller Type: group
  : The place was very dusty. I didn’t like not having windows in the bedroom. Otherwise was very nice

Very Good
Traveller Type: solo traveller
  : The space and decor of the apartment was beautiful. Very comfortable.
  : This apartment had no windows (???) I don't recall reading this in the booking add. Very unusual and not for the claustrophobic. I would not have booked it if I knew.