I read a lot of reviews on this apartment before I booked it and took them with a grain of salt as Geoff had replied to say that being an Art Deco building, of course you expect it not to be shiny and pristine. We still had a great weekend- and kind of laughed in disbelief at the things below- hopefully this feedback helps other traveler’s be prepared.
Pros-
-Great location. Can’t argue that you have Potts Point on the doorstep.
-Geoff was kind enough to let us arrive an hour early and leave our suitcase an hour past checkout so we could do some sightseeing without luggage.
-Geoff provided great tips on the area and what to do/eat. Responsive as a host.
-It was really quiet and peaceful inside
-The old lift to the rooftop was cool as, glimpses of the harbour and opera house from a little patio.
Cons-
Unfortunately, the issues we had are not endemic to art deco buildings, but just reflect a low effort in providing necessities and creature comforts. With the amount of energy and passion Geoff put into his description of the studio, I was disappointed at the lack of attention to detail in caring for the place with basic cleaning and amenities, it didn’t match such a beautiful listing.
Firstly, I went to pull back the sheet and realised it was functioning as a bottom sheet and I had exposed the mattress protector, there was no other sheet. The bed spread was an old ripped, waffle weave cotton doona cover missing a doona insert. As far as “luxury linens” go, I’m not sure that fits the description. There was a couple of thin throws on the end of the bed for warmth (there was a small bar heater, thankfully). The previous guests makeup didn’t appear to have been washed from pillow cases or sheets, the pillows were awful and I ended up using one of the Tom Dixon designer lounge cushions in one of the cotton pillow slips instead. The dust on the black headboard was thick enough for me to draw in- cue: a night full of sneezes. The towels, also listed as luxury linen, were old and plain. (Also, no bath mat?) The “good soaps” was a thin bar of well used Palmolive, if this is the good soaps, I’d hate to see the bad ones! Although there WAS a body wash in the shower. The kitchen was dirty, bench wasn’t wiped down and there were dirty dishes in the dishwasher and rubbish in the bin. (Although I’d been prompted “not to leave dirty dishes to be cleaned!”)
I understand there was no cleaning fee, but does that mean guests can expect the studio to not be clean prior to use? We left it better than we found it, but only because I wiped the bench, ran the dishwasher and took out the bin.
We came and stayed for an event, and getting ready in this apartment was no mean feat. There is barely a mirror that is accessible, and the lighting (although I am sure it was imported/designer) is so impractical I did my makeup with my phone torch. There was no iron, and I ended up trying to steam my silk dress I’d travelled with in the shower- but couldn’t close the bathroom window from the freezing breeze so that wasn’t entirely successful. Most travellers rely on an iron.
The other main thing was that it’s really musty, it smelled of wet and mould- perhaps that is out of Geoff’s control as Sydney has had a very wet year- but a fragrance in the space (candle/diffuser?) would have made a huge difference to our enjoyment.
There are such specific mentions in the listing that things I otherwise would have taken no notice of, I’m not usually critical- but the description set our expectations so high that we looked for the little things- the kettle is not the one described- so don’t expect a song with your cuppa, plus there was no milk to make a tea. There was no olive oil, the kitchen wasn’t very equipped- if you do stay, plan to eat out every meal.
In summary- stay here if you are looking for an experience in an Art Deco building- but bring your own mirror/lighting/blanket/towels/pillow/bleach/candle/bath mat/iron/milk/sense of humour.