Sophie's Place Augarten

We booked this apartment for four days through Booking, paying €384.45, plus a €49 early check-in fee and about €33 in tourist tax. The tax seemed higher than the rate we found elsewhere. When we asked for an itemized invoice, the owner said he’d send one soon, then disappeared after we left. The room looked much more run-down than the listing photos, and we were given a half-used roll of toilet paper. When we asked for another, the owner refused, even though the description mentions additional toilet paper. There were odd noises from the electrical cabinet in the hallway, too. Customer support was poor: he didn’t really address our concerns, told us to get anything else we needed ourselves, and avoided questions about the extra fees. The overall experience gave us the impression there may be a tax issue.

I stayed all eight nights after Booking.com stepped in, but the apartment was hot and uncomfortable, and the bed setup made my bad knee, which needs surgery, even worse. The bed filled the room, with no way to get in from the sides, so I had to crawl along it. There were no brooms, brushes, or other cleaning supplies. The room also lacked the promised air conditioning, sofa, city views, iron, and lift from the ground floor to the apartment. The owners had clearly spent money making it look good, but not on comfort. They called the room an upgrade, though it was plainly a downgrade, and dismissed the screenshots I had from the Booking.com listing. After I complained, they marked my reservation as a no-show and cancelled it through Booking.com, even though I’d already stayed two nights. They thought €85 was enough of a refund while keeping about €900. Booking.com came to my rescue so I could remain for the full stay, but I’m still listed as cancelled and can’t retrieve our chat history. I’m seeking partial compensation from the renter or Booking.com by reporting the matter to Vienna’s tourist authority and my credit card company.

The customer service was rude, and there was expired tea. The bedroom was so cramped that getting into bed meant climbing in over the foot, and getting back out was a struggle. Under the bed was filthy. A horrible stay, to say the least. I’d strongly discourage anyone from booking it.

The apartment was charming, clean, and in a great spot, and the phone support was excellent whenever we had questions. The only small snag was the electronic door lock, which was a bit puzzling. Still, we’d definitely stay here again. Simply top-notch.