3 or 4 stars BUT...
I dont even know where to start with this review. I'll get some of the not so good things out of the way, then some great things after!
The most important part - is be careful of 'bond request'. I should have read the other reviews of this place saying that they had not received their bond money back - 2 weeks after having left, I STILL have not received my bond back. I have messaged every second day or so, totaling about 8 messages, these were either completely ignored, or when I did receive a response - it was simply a 'copy paste' response from the Airbnb website telling me to 'update my email' - which is insane because I have never changed my email, and have had the same email address related to Airbnb for over 3 years now. The bond request is $399 AUD, and you will very likely NOT getting this back, or if you do - it will be a struggle, as for over 2 weeks I have not received it. This is not good enough.
I genuinely feel bad leaving a half-good/half-bad review. I'm not one of 'those' people...and if the matter is settled in the future, I will gladly change this part of my review immediately.
The place is unfortunately everything it says in the description, and not a single thing more. This apartment is advertised as 'Deluxe presidential penthouse/Dream Home' - yet there were no spare towels, no spare toilet paper, and sorry - but 'Coles' brand hand wash. The reason I point out the handwash, is because for the money you are paying - I expected a little more - and after the first few days, these little things started to stick out more and more. I also took a few photos of the corners of all the rooms - all of which had a thick layer of dust on the skirting. I've kept all these photos, including conversations in regards to the bond, so if you have any doubts, please just message me.
If you read the description of the apartment, the number of 'fees and fines' involved are just ludicrous, so you would think having a '$399 excess cleaning fee' would mean the apartment would be immaculate upon arrival...but it isnt. It's very much "generally tidy".
Good things.
All the rooms have a very beautiful view! Melbourne is absolutely stunning especially at dusk and dawn, and having a clear view over the city....well it's just stunning really!
The beds were comfortable to sleep in, the pillows weren't for me - but other people might love them. The shower was really nice! I loved the dual shower head, giving you the option for overhead or side. The wifi seemed generally quite stable and fast also. There is a lot of noise coming from the draft in the front door, but I felt like you didnt notice it from the bedrooms...I'm only mentioning this due to other people complaining about it in the other reviews. I 'feel' like, it isn't as bad as it sounds.
The location of the apartment is also fantastic. Walking distance to shops and cafe's, it's very nice, and a scenic walk too. If it's your first time in Melbourne - definitely take some time to walk and 'take it all in', you will love it :)
The ubers arrive generally quite quickly too, and there's a spot out front for them to pull into, so it makes it all very convenient to get 'to and from'. Another good thing is having a Woolworths directly underneath the apartment, very easy to get any drinks or amenities you might need.
So that's it! I really didn't want to add any negative things to this review, but I feel like after a 2 week battle with the tenants that I had no choice. These things will be changed when and IF my dispute is settled, but until then...
The apartment is generally nice, I think for a 2-3 night stay, you will be really happy. I just feel like for a longer stay like ours, you could get a bit more value elsewhere.