Reiners Alm

I felt very comfortable in this spacious apartment, which was nicely furnished and had everything I needed. Parking was right in front. The view from up there was beautiful, and it was still quick to get into the city for shopping or restaurants. The landlord was very nice, helpful with problems, and easy to reach. I’d gladly come back.

The accommodation was in a convenient location for our conference at Byfang Parish Hall, and the rooms were functionally furnished. We were unhappy with the landlord’s behavior, though we can’t fault him on the contract terms. After inviting the conference organizers to our apartment for a two-hour meal, we had to pay a large sum. It’s hard to understand why he sent an invoice straight to our home address instead of trying to discuss it with us in person. A real shame.

It's a shame, but I can't book this accommodation anymore. Does anyone know exactly what's going on?

The apartment worked well for our seminar because the seminar center was within walking distance, and we would have considered staying again for that reason. Getting into Essen's center by public transport takes a while, though the view is nice and the A44 is only about a five-minute drive away. The trade fair is at least 20 minutes by car; the listed 7 km is probably measured in a straight line. We had the small apartment for two or three people, but couldn't see where a third person was meant to sleep. We didn't need an extra bed, but couldn't find a sofa bed either. The room was spacious enough for our purposes, but one mattress was badly worn. In the kitchen, a cabinet handle was broken, there were no teaspoons (including in the other apartments), and the glasses shelf and glasses were so dusty that we washed all the dishes before using them. The dishcloths provided were heavily stained and pretty much unusable. The bathroom had high-end fittings, but the sink had a long crack. This same issue had already come up in an earlier Booking.com review. The way the landlord handled a charge was disappointing. We had visitors on the terrace for around two hours one evening, and were later charged the "day guest" rate. It seemed the landlord had counted them that night. The communication about it felt unfriendly, much like some of the replies to online reviews. In response to the landlord's reply: my complaint was about that tone, which I think is clear in the response below and in other replies here and on booking portals. The claims made there are simply untrue. Most of our cars were parked at the conference center, a short walk away. And if our arrival really required extra cleaning, I have to wonder what counts as normal. There were 11 adults who'd spent the day at a seminar, not a party group. Since this sort of response appears under many reviews, perhaps it shouldn't be taken too seriously.