Astra Apartments Newcastle West

My apartment had a nice view, but it was above the tram terminus, with bells ringing from 0500 till 0100. Parking was tight and hard to find because of the back entrance. For a "luxury" apartment, the supplies were very miserly for the price, and I stayed a month. It was cleaned three times in four weeks, including towel or sheet changes. They supplied only four rolls of toilet paper, three garbage bags, one tea towel, and three tiny hand soaps. No milk or sugar top-ups. There were two tiny laundry detergent packets and minimal dishwasher tablets, despite my messages, which often went unanswered. I had to request coat hangers after finding only two. A big draught under the front door was only made tolerable after I asked for a door snake. Soap had to sit on the floor, so a shower caddy would help, and a larger handwash bottle would be good. A TV in the bedroom would be nice, so you wouldn't have to use the air conditioner to stay warm. The owner looked unhappy and said the staff couldn't do the job. A welcoming forced smile would've been nicer. I work hard too, doing shift work and caring for others. I wanted somewhere quality that I could recommend because Honeysuckle is a nice area, and hoped for a relaxing stay. Instead, it was depressing, and it didn't feel clean because the cleaner wasn't attentive to a long-term tenant.

Astra Apartments Newcastle was clean and comfortable, and a nice place to stay. The customer service fell short, though. During check-in I felt I was asked too many questions, and they seemed to assume I was there to party, which I wasn't. The stay itself was pleasant, but a more welcoming, professional approach would've made the experience better.

The view is great, the facilities are good, and the location is central, but it wasn't ideal for shift workers. Parking was a pain. I was assigned a spot, then got a note on my car telling me to move it. No problem, except the next number I moved to was taken, and I'd just finished an 11-hour shift. My colleague had the same thing happen. The smoke alarm was beeping. I told them, but nobody cared, so I had to sort it myself. The stove was dirty, with someone's leftover meat inside. I reported that too, but the cleaners didn't come for five days, although they were very nice.

The one-bedroom apartment was just the right size, with a well-equipped kitchen and a washing machine and dryer that worked well. It's a pretty, convenient place, but it's directly above a tram line, with trams running about every 15 minutes, so it was loud. Parking costs an extra $20 a night. The sofa looks lovely but isn't practical or comfortable for curling up to watch TV. The bed was super soft, which I personally don't like. The air con remote didn't work properly, there was no fan to circulate the air, the dishwasher was loud, and there was no hair dryer or shampoo rack. Not five-star as they want to be, and not going above and beyond. Booking and check-in were difficult. It was available to book for December 25, but the director called to say we couldn't check in that day and told us to cancel our non-refundable booking ourselves. That obviously wasn't an option, which he eventually accepted. We had to add another night, disrupting our plans, though at least he agreed to charge only half a night's rate. We then waited 15 minutes for someone to come to the apartment with the keys, and there was only one key between us.