This is the first negative review I have given on Airbnb, I do not gain anything from it except the hope that I will be able to read reviews accurately reflecting the quality of places I look at in the future.

We paid a very high price for a ten night stay at apartment 35c, 70 West 45th Street, New York in December 2016 and were very disappointed with the quality of the stay which we felt did not match the price we paid. When we arrived (after a 30 hour flight from Australia) no one was there to meet us - the concierge would not let us in, he said he had not been advised of our arrival and had no authority to give us the keys. There was no reply from the contact phone number or email we had been given. Eventually we found the number of the owner who gave his authority.

The lobby outside the apartment did not give a good impression – there were boxes and garbage on the floor and the carpet was dirty and run-down looking.

There were no basic items in the kitchen on our arrival. Usually when we stay in Airbnb’s the host leaves simple provisions like coffee, sugar, salt and pepper, and enough basics to get through the first day. There was nothing at all in 35c. Not even tea towels or dishcloths. The dish washer was not working when we arrived, by going online and finding the instructions we discovered it would not work without Rinse Aid which we had to go out and buy. There was a washing machine with a big packet of washing powder on top which we found to contain about a teaspoonful.

There was a small safe but half the digits did not function, the safe was not bolted to the wall and could have easily been carried away – so defeating the point of putting anything in it. Some of the electrical sockets did not work so it was often a choice between having light or charging a phone or computer. A number of the lamps (the only source of light) in the main bedroom and the living room did not work when we arrived - we had to go out and buy globes for them. There were no batteries in the TV remote controls in the main bedroom and living room so we had to buy those too. The front door kept hitting a recessed ceiling light in the hall and knocking it out of the ceiling.

The hot water was intermittent and the toilet in the main bathroom did not function well. It kept getting blocked so we had to buy a plunger. It took about ten minutes to refill the cistern.

Under the beds there was a lot of uncleaned mess: pills, bracelets, hair, paper and dust.

Apart from its location, which was really good, I would not recommend Apartment 35c to anyone looking for a luxury stay in Manhattan.