My friend and I were really looking forward to a relaxing, child free time at Alchemy Distillers based on the photos and the excellent 5-Star reviews. When we arrived, however, the door was wide open and, to our surprise, was shared with the cafe below, there was no independent entry as advertised. Had we known this we wouldn't have booked. We spoke to the cafe owner who said he had a key but didn't generally use the door, we told him we would be locking it and felt very uncomfortable about not being able to lock ourselves or our belongings securely. Once inside we were very disappointed to find that the apartment did not look fresh and new as the photos. The bathroom was very unclean and needed repair in areas (the side of the bath was coming away), very dirty and dusty skirting, scum around the taps on the sink. Cleanliness in general was lacking throughout but the bathroom was the main area. Power sockets throughout the apartment were generally not working or were broken, we lost power in one bedroom (which mean there were no lamps or heating) and in the kitchen. The internal main door was half finished with gaps all around the frame to the shared internal porch area. The blind in the second bedroom was broken so could not be opened, with the broken cord hanging to the ground (safety issue for young children), steep entry stairway which, again, wouldn't be ideal for young children (this is advertised as family friendly). We locked the door when we went out for an early dinner and returned before 8pm to find the door wide open. Again, the door (which we locked before going to bed) was open when we woke the next morning. The hosts were very communicative in terms of providing instructions on entry (not that they were needed as it was open) and initially responded sympathetically and acknowledged our concerns when we emailed but has since refused any monetary compensation as we failed to speak to him directly during our stay. We decided against direct contact that night as he was working (in the bar behind the apartment) and wasn’t around in the morning, however, we emailed the same day we left.