Carpe diem

The neighborhood is quiet, and the Rhine and cathedral are about a 20-minute walk away. Inside, though, noise carries from the other apartment, so we could hear the guests. Cleaning also seemed lacking: the floor hadn’t been done, and there was dust in the cupboards, on the shelves, and on top of the cupboards. I would have cleaned it myself if I’d found a broom or something similar.

We were left outside in freezing weather with our small dog, then had to find somewhere else to stay. I wouldn’t recommend booking here if you want an easy vacation. The arrangement was for the landlady to email us the details a week before arrival, but no message came, and for quite a while afterward we couldn’t reach her by phone or email. Eventually we got a mobile number and were told to call half an hour before arriving, with the apartment ready from 2 PM. We started calling at 1:30, but the line was busy each time. At 2 PM, we found another number posted at the house and realized the number in the email was wrong. No one answered that number either. We finally reached the landlady at 2:45, after waiting 45 minutes. Ms. Bader didn’t apologize or show regret. She told me that a few minutes of my life didn’t matter much. I calmly explained the problems, including that the delay itself wouldn’t have been such an issue if the landlords had answered and kept us informed. Instead, Ms. Bader refused to let us into the apartment. She apparently can’t take criticism, despite being a trained psychologist, and could use further training. She also disregarded the agreements we’d made. For a vacation without this stress and the insults, book elsewhere.

The apartment itself was very nice, though we stayed upstairs and the stairs were extremely steep. Cleanliness was only so-so. Food scraps made the microwave, oven, and kettle unusable, and it seemed the cleaning lady had only done a superficial job.

From the ground-floor terrace and garden, we had a peaceful spot to relax, and parking was right outside the building. We spent three nights in the Carpe Diem holiday apartment and called it our little home. It was thoughtfully furnished and had everything we needed. The old town, Technik Museum, and cathedral were all easy to reach, and Heidelberg was about a 30-minute drive. We really enjoyed the stay and the quiet, and would gladly recommend Carpe Diem.