Jesmond Executive Villas

The room was clean and well equipped, with a separate lounge, a bedroom, an ensuite and a spa bath. But it smelled strongly of disinfectant and needed several hours of airing before I could stay in it. There wasn't enough coffee or toilet paper. Parking was bad too, and I had to use the street several times because no spaces were available. The pool was closed for renovations, so I had to swim at the beach or local pool. For the price, that wasn't acceptable. Most staff were friendly. One staff member wanted full payment several days before I arrived. I understand paying in full when travelling abroad, but I was only a few hours from home. I'd never prepaid before and usually pay at the end of a stay. It's difficult to get money back if you cancel, so I offered to leave a deposit instead. He wasn't happy, but agreed. On arrival day the front desk called several times to check when I'd arrive, even though I'd already told them. I understand it's a business, but I felt harassed, which put me off.

For a budget price, this was a great place. It was a bit hectic when we arrived, with everyone seeming to check in at once, but the guys at reception were great. We had some trouble with access, so they moved us to a lovely villa. It was clean, comfortable and had everything we needed. We'd definitely stay again.

We booked Jesmond Executive Villas for convenience, but were quietly moved across the road to Azzuro Apartments with little warning. Booking one place and being sent to another is a red flag. Parking was advertised as included, yet on arrival we were told it would be $25 a day. They even suggested using McDonald's car park if we didn't want to pay. After we pushed back, they waived the charge, but we shouldn't have had to negotiate. Azzuro Apartments looks new at first, but the build quality is shocking: a terrible layout, already falling apart, and clearly done as cheaply as possible. The shower floods because the drain can't keep up, the carpet is stained, and cockroaches were roaming around like they owned the place. Easily one of my worst stays. Do yourself a favour and book somewhere else.

Getting to the place was difficult because construction fencing badly blocked the driveway. The receptionist was incredibly rude, said I was wrong and wouldn't acknowledge the obstruction. Garbage was piled everywhere, including old insulation rotting in tarp bags where people park. The whole place looked like a third world dump. Our rooms were disgusting. The floors, including the entrance stairs, hadn't been vacuumed or mopped, and chewing gum had been stuck there for ages. They seemed to have made the beds and called it cleaning. The master bedroom was a separate room from the main one, which we hadn't been told. Outside our room was a huge hole covered with a thick piece of wood that made a deafening noise whenever a car drove over it. The dishwasher was clogged with mouldy, slimy old water, cleaning powder calcification and mould on the door. The linen hadn't been washed either; you could feel crunchy patches on the microfibre blanket in the master room. While we were packing at 0630hrs, the broken 'check out' button in the main room, pushed right in with no sign to say what it was, somehow locked us out. All our keys, phones, wallets and suitcases were in the master room, and we couldn't get back in. No one answered the after-hours emergency line. It took well over an hour to reach someone, the same rude person I'd spoken to the day before. He refused to take any responsibility and blamed us for pushing the broken button. We paid over $500 for this trashy experience. We should have done what others said and slept in the car.