The Urban Gem

The apartment was spacious, modern and looked lovely, just as it did in the photos. The host was responsive when I contacted her, and I appreciated that she accommodated my request for a later 11am checkout.

Unfortunately, there were several issues that made my one-night stay very uncomfortable. I wasn’t sent any check-in instructions before arrival and had to call the host to find out how to access the property. There was also a persistent damp/musty smell throughout the apartment that remained even after opening the windows. When I opened the window in the larger bedroom, the blind came down and hit me, so I decided not to use that room. The fridge had also not been cleared before my arrival and contained cooked food that I was told was being kept for another guest arriving after my stay. There were no Wi-Fi instructions either, so I had to contact the host again for the password. There were also no bins anywhere in the property, not in the kitchen, bathroom or bedrooms. When I contacted the host about this, I was advised to use a bag for my rubbish and leave it to be emptied. I found this particularly inconvenient, especially as there was nowhere appropriate to dispose of sanitary waste in the bathroom. The mattress in the bedroom I eventually used was extremely hard and uncomfortable. The property also had poor sound insulation, and I could hear traffic, car horns, people talking and other street noise throughout the night. I barely slept, which was particularly difficult as I had an important commitment the following morning. The apartment looks lovely and has potential, but much more attention needs to be given to basic guest amenities, maintenance, preparing the property properly between guests, clear arrival instructions and overall comfort.