Apartment in Vitebsk Tower

The place was filthy, from the sheets and towels to the dishes. Even the walls and curtains were dirty. It’s also a long way from the center. Disgusting.

The apartment we got was a dump, at 46, 7th floor, building 66l. I booked after seeing the high ratings, nice photos, and very affordable price, but the place didn’t match what was shown. A day before arrival, Alexander checked that we were still coming. I said yes, as planned. On arrival day he messaged that the keys would be under the mat. When we opened the door, it was stuffy, and the apartment looked different from the website photos. There was no air conditioning. I wondered if I’d mixed something up, and we were tired from the trip, so we left our things and went for a walk. Alexander then said he accepted cash, although the site said Mir was an option, and sent a photo showing where to find an ATM. I withdrew cash and got charged a bank fee. Then he told me to go to another building, up to the 22nd floor, and bring him the money. I nearly told him where to go and considered sending someone else to withdraw and deliver it. I held back because I didn’t want to be stuck outside on a Saturday night with an infant. I politely asked him to come down himself. He did, but we had to wait. We got back late and saw what the apartment was really like: hot and stuffy, with dirt and hair around. The curtains and bedding smelled of smoke, and it looked as if the sheets hadn’t been changed after the previous guests. They were pilled and scratchy. In the morning, the kitchenware looked like it had been picked up from a dump, and the appliances seemed to be from the 90s. I didn’t argue then. I thought, forget it. I thought that was the end of it, but on the morning we were leaving Alexander called to ask if he could mark on Ostrovok that we hadn’t checked in, so he could avoid paying the commission. That annoyed me, especially after I’d even paid a bank fee. He offered to transfer me a little money as compensation. I didn’t give him my card number and decided to leave a review instead. Before that, I asked in a message where the air conditioner was and why I couldn’t find photos of this apartment on the site. While I was on the way, he sent two voice messages and transferred 1000 rubles. It seems he did it using my phone number. In the first message, he gave a sad explanation: we had supposedly booked another apartment, but a family with children was staying there, their car had broken down, and they couldn’t leave. He said he couldn’t put them out on the street, so he gave us a different apartment. Since we hadn’t complained, he claimed that meant we agreed. Apparently it was fine to leave a dirty, smoke-stinking place for us without even coming to see us. In the second message, he said the 1000 rubles were for the inconvenience. I told him that wasn’t how things are done, and that he should stop embarrassing himself, throw out the bedding, buy new sheets, and quit lying. He sent another voice message, a couple of minutes long, saying it was our own fault and we should have refused right away. He said he would have given us another “ someone else's” apartment too, since we had checked in early )) Thanks to everyone who read this far. Apartment 46, 7th floor, 66l is a dump. To the owner: replace the bedding, start cleaning, and stop lying. I’m attaching photos of the dump, including the “beautiful view from the window” mentioned in the listing.))

We really enjoyed the apartment. The room is spacious, has all the amenities, and is pleasantly decorated, with gorgeous city views from the window. The Wi-Fi is fast, there’s a good range of TV channels, and parking is available. The host is friendly and easy to reach. We’ll recommend it to our friends.

The way I was treated here was the most dishonest experience I’ve had. Please don’t rent an apartment in this building. The landlord has many units there. First he put me in the wrong one: instead of the beautiful, new apartment, I got a 90s farmhouse. Later he moved me to a newer one, but then raised the price several times. You’re already living there when they knock and say demand is high, so either pay more or find somewhere else. I’ve never experienced such dishonesty. It’s embarrassing. Belarusians are decent people, but this...