Our group of 7 found this apartment situated in the centre of Prague which we were pleased to have discovered. The price was reasonable and communication between us and the Host was - for the most part - good. The issues that this review focuses on is surrounding the apartment itself.
- Check in:
Informed by host that she was at apartment waiting. Arrived at apartment lobby expecting to see host - no one around. We then had to ask several people where this apartment was. Eventually someone directed us to the 6th floor. Once we'd climbed all 6 flights (there is a lift though blink and you'll miss it) we knocked on the only apartment style door again expecting the host to answer. Instead we were greeted by a very disgruntled elderly lady. She knew why we there, this was clearly a regularly occurrence. She made a call and after a short wait a gentleman came to greet us. The male, a caretaker we assumed given his extensive collection of keys didn't speak a single word of English. The caretaker barked for our passports which we were under the impression were being taken. Through the help of a translation service and an intermittent WiFi connection we eventually understood that photos of our passports were required.
- Apartment:
Before leaving the caretaker handed over 2 sets of keys and a single key. The 2 sets were for entry to the apartment - 1 for entry just off the main stairs, 1 for the door into a communal 2X2M hallway and the third for entry into the flat. Keys are coloured though there's no colour sticker on the door to help you get the right key first time - it's a guessing game! The single key is for the toilet situated in the communal hallway though be aware, the lock is taped on the other side so you're on edge that someone else from the other apartment doesn't walk in on you.
- Utilities:
The layout of the apartment is as described, though it's evident that the maintenance is not something of a priority for the host. Throughout our stay the following issues were found:
- light bulbs either out or absent form ceiling lights
- lumpy mattresses and overly large but thin pillows (some of us filled the void with towels whilst others folded theirs in half to get around this issue)
- a shower door that when closed exposed a gaping hole between screens - a towel had to be used to capture excess water
- low pressure water resulting in just a constant dribble of water (you can fiddle with the knobs to get the handheld shower attachment to work)
- blocked shower drain
- No sun-lounger on balcony - in fact there was, it was just left in the corner, broken and rusted. There were however plastic seats in their absence.
- Wall fixtures loose - towel hook in bathroom being one
- Check out:
Check out was clear from the host - keys were to be left in a letter box with the name of the apartment clearly written. The host told us that check out was at 10:30 only to be reminded that both the listing and caretaker state 11:00. We didn't hear back from her again.
***
I don't usually do long reviews, most just consist of a sentence of two, however having stayed in this apartment I felt compelled to write more. For us our disappointment began when we were told by the host that she was waiting for us at the apartment. Our expectation was that the host would meet and direct us to our apartment in what is overall a vast building with numerous floors and apartments/businesses. Instead we were left to figure it this out by ourselves interrupting residents in the process by knocking on their apartment doors.
The location itself is great with most tourist attractions within walking distance and an abundance of bars and restaurants to choose from.