Guest Room

Can I use the kitchen? Yes (especially if you let us taste your specialties)

Are you in Downtown Boston? No--it is 15-20 minutes into Boston on the Metro or bus, 3 blocks from the house

Can I walk from the Metro/T station at night? Yes; there are new (2010) street lights and crosswalks

Is a room for one person less than $100 USD/night total, including all fees and surcharges? Yes

We want to reserve the suite with the Queen bed. There's no suite and both rooms have a Queen bed.

We are a family of five. We would like to rent your apartment. We don't have an apartment and we don't have room for five people

Can we rent your studio for the summer? We don't have a studio and we only rent for short visits

Is breakfast included? This is not a full Bed & Breakfast but we do offer free coffee, tea, juice, fruit in the morning.

How many bathrooms do you have? A full bath upstairs and a half bath downstairs next to the kitchen

This will be for my grandmother--she can't climb stairs. I'm sorry but there are 15 steps up to the bedroom

How do we get to you from Boston Logan airport? Either take Silver Line bus to South Station then Red Line Inbound/Alewife subway to Porter, 7 stops ($2, 40 minutes) or take taxi ($31 on May 30, 2012--before tip, 20 minutes)

Your garden? We've planted 26 trees so far (the birch with five trunks is one tree), including 12 rabina/mountain ash, cedars, weeping beech, dogwood; then we have hydrangea, roses, poppies, peonies, day lilies, iris, rhododendron, ferns, clematis, weigela, yew, lavender, euonymus, sedum, azalea, mums, Japanese holly, juniper, honeysuckle, hens and chicks, columbine, daisies, andromeda, lilies of the valley, chives, wild strawberries, campanula/bellflower, lady's mantle, yarrow, lilac, veronica, black eyed susan, morning glory, wisteria, sage, Russian sage, hostas, lemon balm--it's a very small yard; you get extra points if you see a rabbit passing through!

"Harris and Svetlana were amazing hosts! I had the most amazing stay with them. They were both very gracious, easy to talk with, and very interesting people. On the day I arrived, I was late for a meeting and Harris offered to drive me to it so I would make it on time. He also, very graciously, drove me to the metro station so I wouldn't get soaked as it was pouring the day that I was leaving. Their home was clean, with lots of light, and plenty of space. The bathroom was fantastic-- it was one of the best showers I've ever used. This was my first experience with an AirBnB place and it was fantastic-- I will most certainly stay with them again next time I'm in town. Thank you!" (October 2011)

"Terrific hosts and a splendid stay. Perfect location for us -- 10 min walk to to our Davis Square destination of interest. Spacious accommodations. Bathroom is shared, but perfectly clean, and no 'shower delay' in getting up & out. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting our hosts. They were warm and personable, very accommodating to our late arrival, attentive to our schedule, and although they do not 'prepare breakfast', they certainly did provide a terrific and delicious light breakfast spread with coffee and tea! We felt very welcomed. This is a super place to stay, and we will look to them in the future!" (October 2011)

"We would like to thank you for your kind hospitality. We enjoyed the stay very much, it felt almost like home." (September 2011)

"My husband and I had 4 nights here in early June, 2011 for the main purpose of attending the MIT graduation of our nephew. We also had time to fit in some sight seeing. We found the trip via public transport from airport to the house as easy as the host had described. Also the ride from Porter Square to Kendall for MIT couldn't have been easier and we felt perfectly safe walking back after 11:00pm. The photos of the property are certainly representative of the place, except the front garden was far prettier with an abundance of peonies and columbine which we truly appreciated. Everything was very clean and attractive in this comfortable home where we felt instantly amongst friends as we sipped our welcoming cup of tea. There was always a pot of coffee, fruit and other welcome breakfast items. We took our own cereal and enjoyed many a scintillating conversation with Harris and Svetlana who make the perfect hosts. Harris was very helpful with suggestions about moving around the Boston area. We enjoyed taking the Duck Tour, walking around the Harvard Square area, spending time on Boston Common and taking in China Town. We would most certainly recommend this property to others and in fact we already have! We would go back here at the drop of a hat. It added a whole different and enhancing dimension to our Boston experience. On the day of our departure we found that we were able to drop our cases at the South Station (red line) on the 5th floor of the bus terminal at the facility known as Package Express. It was $5 per case and enabled us to continue visiting Boston and made for an easy return to the airport."

"My son and I took a �graduation trip' and ended up staying with the Sussmans while in Boston. We were a long way from home (South Carolina) and I can't say enough good things about their hospitality and warmth they showed us. They have a beautiful house nestled in a quiet neighborhood and I don't think I've had a better nights sleep in years. If we travel back to Boston, we will surely call them first. They're great people that I wouldn't hesitate to stay with again. I highly recommend staying here for the beautiful house and even better hosts."

"When we arrived in January 2011, we had left our home country to live in the USA and just needed a place to stay until we found a place to live in the neighbourhood. The house is clean, nice. Harris and Svetlana are two pleasant persons, with whom it was always a pleasure to chat. Moreover, they helped us in many ways during these first days in America. Our search for a decent flat proved to be harder than expected and it was a blessing to stay there during these tough times, where all you have is a suitcase and all you do is visit crappy appartments all the day. If you like people in general, that's the place to stay in particular."

"My husband and I stayed here in October 2010. Our daughter also stayed with us most of the time. We are from Germany and we visited our son who studies in Boston. Already before our journey we had a very good contact with our host (by e-mail). He answered all our questions. From arrival to departure, we've had a great experience. Harris and Svetlana are wonderful people- they made us feel at home. They did everything to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. We have felt very well. Everything was like in the description. The property was clean and well-maintained. But it was so much more than this! You can reach the T-station (Red Line) in about 10 minutes, also Massachusetts Ave. with a lot of restaurants and shops. We often went to Harvard Square, it is a walk of about 20 minutes. We could park our car free at the house. We received reduced tickets to different museums and the aquarium. We had free internet in our rooms. We could use the kitchen and the refrigerator -we felt welcome in the whole house. We would highly recommend this guesthouse to anyone wishing to visit the Boston area . This place is a wonderful alternative to a hotel room. Next time we return to Boston, we will stay there with no doubt. The hospitality was great. Thank you once more, Harris and Svetlana! "

"...perfect and generous host, comfortable location, good neighborhood..."

***

"Thank you so much for all your helps and hospitality. When Y asked me "how do you find such a good place to stay?!" I was so proudly saying "I have very good sense of instinct." We had good time staying with you, thank you so much!"

"The hosts were around to chat, but also left me to their own devices, and proved incredibly helpful. The room is lovely (with a good selection of books, none of which I got time to read, sadly), and Svetlana and Harris's hydrangeas and Russian sage are looking beautiful, too. I wish I'd known they had a grand piano, I would have brought some music. Next time..." (July 2011)

***
"Thank you both for sharing your lovely home and making me feel welcome. I will definitely call when I need a place in the area and if you would like I can pass this info on to others. Thank you Harris for the drive Fri. night and making me feel safe. You have a lovely home.So nice to meet you."

"Thank you for being such great hosts. Next time you could offer a 'bakery crawl' to show us your favorite places...also a farmer's market tour...we'd pay extra..."

"Thank you so much for all your help. I enjoyed my stay and look forward to our return visit."

"It has been a wonderful stay. Thank you for opening your home to us. We shall tell friends about you."

"I thank you for your warmth and hospitality and we truly had a great stay and look forward to the next one."

On Craigie Street, Somervlle;
Right on the top of a little hill
Is where the Sussmans dwell.
You treat your guests so well.
In your home, I have been your guest,
And while in Boston, I had sweet rest.
It was in March, I stayed there with Faye,
You made us feel welcome every day.
Your home is really inviting and warm;
Wonderful hospitality is your norm.
You are such a charming couple;
Our expectations were doubled.
You have warmed our hearts in the cold;
As Spring buds, your story unfold.
Svetlana, beautiful and demure;
Your kindness added to the allure;
Harris, so humorous, you are great;
Everything you did we appreciate.
I’m really happy we made this choice;
For such good fortune we rejoice.
THANK YOU!!
(March 2012)

This was a great place to stay. Harris and Svetlana are great hosts--interesting and caring people with great senses of humor! The 2nd floor guest room is clean and comfortable, and the bathroom is spotless. It's a very walkable and safe area too--a residential neighborhood on a quiet side street that's near public transportation, restaurants, and shopping. An ideal location and super hosts! (April 2012)

Harris is an excellent host, very friendly, accommodating, and willing to help. He and his wife have a beautiful house, walking distance from Porter square and from the subway. The room was very comfortable and everything was very clean. I definitely recommend it.

We had a pleasant stay. Short walk from Porter, comfortable bed, clean sheets, clean (shared) bathroom and quiet surroundings. Harris was friendly, easy to communicate with and very eager to help.

Terrific hosts and a splendid stay. Perfect location for us -- 10 min walk to to our Davis Square destination of interest. Spacious accommodations. Bathroom is shared, but perfectly clean, and no 'shower delay' in getting up & out. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting our hosts. They were warm and personable, very accommodating to our late arrival, attentive to our schedule, and although they do not 'prepare breakfast', they certainly did provide a terrific and delicious light breakfast spread with coffee and tea! We felt very welcomed, and these hosts remind us of why we prefer airbnb! This is a super place to stay, and we will look to them in the future! (May 2012)

I'd like to thank you both very much for your wonderful hospitality during my recent trip. The trip back home has been trouble free so I can assure you, there will be no travel disaster anecdote this time! Staying with you really was like a home from home and made the trip extremely pleasant. If you'll have me I'd very much like to come again on my next visit to the area. (June 2012)

Thanks for your hospitality. We arrived home safely last night although our house AC is broken so it was 95 degrees in the house! Wish we were still there! I hope we can return to Boston and we'd love to stay at your place again. (July 2012)

Harris was amazing. He was even kind enough to give me a ride so I didn't have to walk in the rain and put my shoes in the dryer which had been soaked earlier that day. The place was VERY clean, welcoming, and conveniently located. Thank you! (August 2012)

We want to thank you very very much for your kind hospitality : Your house was pleasant and well decorated and it was fine to come back here in the evening. It was quiet and make us able to enjoy the next day. (August 2012)