Art-Haus-Leipzig

The old building itself is lovely, with many original features, and there’s a small uncovered smoking area in the backyard. The apartment, though, was dirty and badly worn. Apartment 1.01, meant for four people, had tired furniture and a greasy kitchen. Cupboards were sticky, the few dishes were worn and not properly clean, and the extractor hood was greasy with old food scraps and couldn’t be switched on because there was no nearby outlet. The oven looked just as bad, and I didn’t want to use anything in it. The windowless bathroom was sparse too. You could hear the tram and S-Bahn or regional trains very loudly and often at night, about every 10 minutes. When someone moved upstairs, the ceiling light rattled and every footstep came through clearly. Stairwell noise was just as noticeable. The kitchen can only be reached through one bedroom and has no door of its own. There’s also an unmarked, nasty tripping hazard. I wouldn’t book here again. Any hostel is better and cleaner.

Living in what’s basically an art gallery was the special part of our stay. Look closely and there are new details to spot every day. The apartment was clean, tidy, and had what we needed for a pleasant short break. We’d love to come back!

The beds were comfortable, and there was a TV, though Netflix crashed every few minutes. Those were the only real positives. Apartment 4 wasn’t what the pictures promised: despite the price reflecting a nice, comfortable place, it had only a small induction cooktop instead of a proper stove, a cramped toilet where you bumped into things, and barely any amenities, including very little cutlery. We were out most of the time, but coming back after a long day to this place felt outrageous. The location itself may be fine, but opening a holiday apartment on a busy main road in a major city seems questionable. The apartments are acceptable, but I wouldn’t recommend them.

The manager was polite and understanding, and kindly moved us to another apartment after we found that Apartment No. 5 smelled strongly of a smoky bar. That’s a real shame for a place advertised as “non-smoking.” The tram right outside is noisy if you’re not used to it. Wi-Fi was unusable on the upper floors, 5 and above. Apart from those issues, it was fine.