We stayed in the Leicester apartment and overall had a very nice experience. For the sake of clarity for other guests, I will list the pros and cons of my groups experience with this stay:
Pros:
-Easy self check in. We were messaged the code for the outside door and keys were left inside the apartment for us to access.
-Transportation options and shopping convenience. This apartment is located with so many transit options- with a close by train station and bus stops in walking distance. We were able to get to Central London in 30-45 minutes depending on the neighborhood we traveled to. There are several supermarkets and restaurants to choose from.
-The apartment is decorated well and is spacious for a group of four. My group was very comfortable with the two bedrooms and one and a half bathroom. It’s a perfect size for 4-5 people. Beautiful light comes in through the windows and we loved the homey feel of the space.
-The kitchen is equipped with many tools. If you want to save money and prepare your own meals, the kitchen has every tool you’d need from a pasta strainer to cutting knives.
-Great price point. When splitting the cost of our 9 day stay with a group of four—we got a great amount of space and convenience for the same price as other listings that were tiny apartments.
Cons:
-Cleanliness and upkeep needs improvement. Overall, the apartment did not have a deep clean, simply a surface clean. The dishes were washed, the bed sheets were changed, and the garbage cans were emptied. However, there was a thick layer of dust under the bed—showing that the surrounding room was swept but not under the furniture. There were cob webs in every window sill. There were stains on the living room furniture and stains on the side of the mattresses. On the first day, I walked on the carpet barefoot and the bottom of my feet were black. (We hadn’t walked around the house with our shoes on much—it was the first day of our stay.) And yet my feet were black with dirt, which means that the carpet was not given a deep clean. The shower bathroom lock doesn’t work—you have to push the door hard to get the lock to fit in the lock hole. My group wanted privacy while showering and you either have to struggle to jam a door shut or keep it slightly open and compromise privacy. The chairs in the kitchen were wobbly—needing to be replaced or fixed. This gave off a feeling of lack of maintenance of the apartment. These flaws may not bother some at all, especially given the pros. However, it may be misleading to some who are looking for a certain quality in their stay. I’ve stayed in other Airbnb’s with the same price point and better cleanliness and maintenance.
-Lack of resources. The home lacked extra toilet paper rolls. There were only two rolls given for a group of four people staying for nine days so we had to purchase our own toilet paper. In every hotel and Airbnb I’ve been to, at least several rolls of toilet paper were provided. There weren’t clear plastic bags provided to recycle our food containers. As travelers, we do not want to purchase a package of 100 recycling bags from the store and take it home with us. There weren’t small bags to replace the bathroom garbage can. These kind of resources should simply be provided for the guest without having to contact staff. It’s a given to have several rolls of toilet paper and bags for different purposes.
-Compared to the pictures, the garden space and backyard was not as impressive. The photos appeared colorful, bright, and with lush greenery. Yet in person, the house did not have such a well tended garden. The pictures showed a clean interior and yet the furniture had stains. It seems that these photos are from years ago, not updated to the present reality.
Overall, the pros of comfort, convenience, and value for the money far outweighs the cons. Our host was great with communication and we are grateful for our stay which was positive and exactly what we needed. However, I wanted to be honest about the cons because for some people, the things I listed may be a deal breaker. In my personal opinion, the cons are not so extreme that I’d say my stay was only “okay”. Our stay was “good,” but if these small details were worked out, it could change a persons experience from being good to being great/exceptional.