Sam's place is conveniently located to the centre of Castle Hill and to public transport to get to city etc.
The bed was very comfortable for our stay and the kitchen well appointed for self catering.
We were, however, disappointed overall with our stay at Sam's. The two main areas of concern were the communication and the cleanliness.
Prior to our arrival Sam's communication was prompt and great. However when we arrived we had been given the incorrect code for entry to the "apartment". We tried contacting Sam and fortunately Penny happened to pass by and notice us. Sam eventually answered our call after about 90 mins.
The description of the "apartment" could be better described on the site to more accurately reflect the space to avoid disappointment. This "apartment" is accessed through the roller door of the property garage and is at the back of the garage under the house. The bedroom has no natural light and no ventilation; the sitting room/kitchen does have a window for light and some ventilation. Staying there in December we needed to have the fans on at all times.
Considering that guests are charged $60 cleaning fee I would have expected the place to be at a better standard. The bathroom had used toiletries in the shower and vanity presumably from previous guests. Under the vanity was not clean; we had to clean the shelves to be able to place our products.
The pantry cupboard had a stock of items for use by guests such as condiments, oils etc. Unfortunately most of the these products were out of date, some by 2 years, and therefore should not be available to guests for health reasons.
Sam also advertises that he supplies half dozen eggs, two minute noodles and snacks for guests. There were no eggs, no snacks and the one packet of noodles had expired. A packet of cereal had been left open and exposed to dust and insects.
We have noticed that many guests have reviewed Sam's place very favourably, so perhaps more attention to detail with cleanliness and accurate descriptions will leave future guests more impressed.