Samma Linden

We booked a cot, but there wasn't one in the apartment when I arrived with my six-month-old daughter. Nobody answered my calls. When someone eventually emailed, they said it was because I hadn't agreed to the extra $50 charge. If someone requests a cot with a room, just include the $50 in the total instead of asking twice. I already had 50 emails about the guest portal and other things, so it was hard to keep track. The check-in was awful, too. I was on my own with the baby and had to go to a lockbox in a vacant lot. It was hard to work out where my car park was, then I had to remember a six-digit code just to unlock the door. The apartment wasn't well maintained. There were stains on the carpet, couches, rug and other areas, and the bathroom fan kept running for ages after nobody was in there. We had to cancel because of a medical emergency, but were refused because the free cancellation period had ended just one day earlier. I was very disappointed. My wife had a separate booking at another hotel because she was coming earlier, and they refunded hers even though it was the day before and past their policy. Here, I was offered different dates instead. I called the hotel on the day to cancel and they sent me to booking.com, while booking.com told me to call the hotel. Between the two, it took eight hours to find out what they would do. These apartments don't seem suited to Airbnb or holiday stays. The owners should consider selling them to private owners. I expect some sort of compensation refund.

We booked Samma Linden on Bell Street, Ivanhoe, VIC through Stayz/Vrbo for five nights, but couldn't reach the host to get into the apartment. We first tried two days before the stay and kept trying throughout the booking. Calls went unanswered, or we spent hours being passed from one agent to another. Emails and the virtual help line got us nowhere, so we had to book a hotel instead. Neither Stayz/Vrbo nor the building or apartment host has contacted us with a solution since. This is unacceptable. We feel scammed and ripped off.

The location was nice, but being on the first floor was awful. A woman shouted in the hallway every day, waking us at 6:30 AM and carrying on all day. It scared our kids. I'd avoid staying on that floor.

Comfortable and pleasant, with the things we wanted, including a washer and dryer, heating, TV and enough space. Getting in and out was a bit difficult.