I came to Melbourne with five other friends for four weeks of studies and travelling. We stayed in the Berkeley Apartment from 7 May to 3 June. The six of us are very pleased with our stay in this apartment and would really encourage A stay in this apartment.

Apartment interior: We found the apartment spacious. There was sufficient space for cooking, studying and resting. The design is very modern, cosy and clean. The owners have certainly taken much pride in keeping the apartment well maintained. The bed I was on was very comfortable too.

Facilities and appliances: There were all the appliances that we needed for the one month stay, and they were all in good condition and clean. We cooked a lot and the kitchenware was great. The only thing lacking was a clothes air dryer. But this was easily resolved by either using the hairdryer to efficiently dry the clothes or by hanging the clothes at the hanging line at the balcony. There was a gym that two of my friends used frequently and heard it is good.

Convenience: The apartment is at a superb location. It is just a minute walk to Westfield shopping centre, which is really big, with the all-important Coles and Woolworth supermarkets which close around 10pm, and a large variety of fashion, toy shops (etc Toys R Us), cinema and many food options. Though close to the mall, it was at a street which was peaceful and not busy. From Westfield, there are 3 buses which bring you to Boxhill central in 10-15 min. There is a bus stop near the apt which brings you to Melbourne CBD in bout 30 min. There is a great breakfast place - pancake parlour - which is a 10 min walk from the apartment.

Host: The striking thing about our stay is how warm and welcoming our hosts were to us. On arrival, the host called me to tell me the directions to get to the apartment. He even wanted to drive and pick us up from Boxhill Station. In the apartment he gave us a good guided tour to all the facilities and rooms. He had even prepared additional items for our stay, like a steamboat warmer and toothbrushes. He even prepared sweets, drink sachets and fruits for our stay. Later along the week he even bought us frozen pork and sausages for us to enjoy. Charles is very reliable. If there is any issue, just call him and he'll be more than willing to help. He would give advice on transport and even gave us some cooking tips cos we were noobs. I broke a few items in the house but he was nice enough not to charge me (and I'm sure he replaces them)!

All in all, we had a very memorable stay in the Berkeley apartment, and would encourage a stay there too.