The Balfour

The one upside was the location, in a beautiful area with easy access to public transport. The property itself was in poor shape, smelled bad in much of the house, and our room was smelly and not very clean. We had a private bathroom but felt dirtier after showering. During our week there, the room was never cleaned, and neither our sheets nor towels were changed. The cleaner must not have cleaned properly before we arrived, or the shower wouldn’t have looked the way it did in the pictures. The communal areas were poorly lit, the front and back gardens were a disgrace, and when we arrived late at night there wasn’t a single light to guide us in, which felt dangerous. The kettle didn’t work, the coffee machine was in terrible condition, and the kitchen was in bad shape too. The long-term guests on the bottom floor were a delight and very helpful. The owner is getting a lot of money from very unhappy guests and doesn’t care. Better to pay a little extra for a clean room that’s serviced at least once a week.

We were three sisters, and our room was huge, which was great. The owner, or at least who I assume was the owner, was very nice. We walked all over from the Balfour, and felt safe and comfortable the whole time. We’d booked a few weeks before getting last-minute tickets to the Eras Tour, when hotels all over Van had raised prices, some to $1000 a night. The Balfour was the only reasonably priced option, and we were desperate enough to book without checking reviews. Just know it’s more like a boarding house or hostel than a hotel or motel. The rooms feel lived in and probably aren’t deep cleaned weekly. Some things were broken, including a full-length mirror, and there’s no shampoo or conditioner. Would I book it for a honeymoon? Probably not. But if I were passing through Van and spending most of my time out sightseeing, maybe I’d stay again.

It feels like someone turned their home into a bed and breakfast without knowing what a bed and breakfast is. There wasn’t any breakfast. The place is overpriced, musty, barren, and emotionally cold. They said there was parking when I booked online, but when I arrived they said there actually wasn’t any. You have to park on the street and move your car every two hours.

We never saw any staff during our stay. We came and went on our own, and left without seeing anyone either. The mansion is in a beautiful location, but needs serious restoration. Arriving at night felt like walking into a horror movie: the steps were steep and rickety, the door was hard to open, and there was a terrible smell at the entrance. We struggled to reach our room. It was spacious and clean, but smelled foul too. There was no toilet paper, nobody cleaned the toilet for three days, and the bathroom had no lock, so we had to watch out for each other in case someone came in. The water cooler was empty, and the tap water was impossible to drink. The yard looked like an abandoned lot that hadn’t been maintained for about five years, nothing like the photo. I didn’t feel comfortable or safe there, and not wanting to return to the house pretty much ruined my vacation.