Given the pleasant and prompt communication I always had with Matt and Steph and the excellent self check-in instructions I would love to have been able to give this apartment a rave review. However, too many things simply were not good enough.
The place wasn't nearly as clean as we would've liked. My other half re-did it and filled the hoover.
The toilet seat was almost hanging off when I arrived. I borrowed some pliers and did a very temporary fix on it as best as I could. I told Matt this and he said he would check it after I left. This made for a fortnight of very nervous sitting!
The description says that the apt is suitable for both short and long stays. I suppose if one was there for a couple of nights city-break some of our issues might not be felt. We were staying for a fortnight and for work.
The kitchen is not well set up for cooking for yourself:
There's no equipment/utensils to make a proper coffee. There's one old, warped frying pan, one small tray for the oven and no pan really big enough to boil water for pasta. There wasn't even a bowl to whisk some eggs in.
The kitchen cupboards were a confused mess and had to be re-organised by me to be workable. We found four used cling films in four different places and lots of leftover food , most of which was out of date and had to be binned, including various open packs of pasta. The fridge dripped water all over our food due to a freezer compartment which couldn't be opened as it was in dire need of defrosting.
There's no washing machine(which I knew) and it was suggested I could use a launderette or their own laundry supplier who would take laundry away and bring it back no doubt at some cost. On arrival I noticed plumbing in place in the kitchen cupboard for a machine. This is clearly a choice that again belies the long-term stay suitability claim.
The worst aspect of the stay was the, six days a week, deafening daytime noise. The apartment is on a corner and is between two separate building sites each of which are no more than 40m away. I was working evenings and so expected to spend large parts of the daytime in the apt, ideally on the balcony (which was one of the real selling points for me). This was never possible apart for one Sunday. I had to go to bed with all the windows closed (which I hate) as work began early.
I realise that the works are nothing to do with Steph and Matt and if you're only staying a couple of days and you're out seeing the sights it might not be an issue. However, as this has clearly been going on for some considerable time and bound to go on for months more, I think the decent thing to do would've been to warn anyone who might be looking to spend time in the apt during the day.
Considering all the previous excellent reviews, which sold me on the place, I wonder if Matt and Steph have taken their eye off the ball a bit and are getting a wee bit complacent.