Micasa Aparthotel

At first glance, the apartments make a very good impression: spacious, modern and clean. Once you look closer, there are some odd details. They have no decor or homely feel, though that’s not too important. The windows don’t seem sturdy enough to hold their own weight and tend to fall down, so closing them is almost impossible. The floors and couch were sticky, so we kept our socks on. One bathroom had a strange smell, and the breakfast choices included in the price are an absolute joke.

I wasn’t very impressed. There were a few minor things that would’ve been easy to forget, but then at the end of the week we were unexpectedly asked to pay another 50 pounds on top of the booking. They blamed the booking agency, even though they pay them to handle bookings and are effectively working for Micasa. They tried to say it wasn’t their responsibility, leaving us to pay for a problem apparently no one owned. Very hospitable. We asked to speak to someone in charge and were told they’d call back, but nobody did. They clearly don’t care about you as long as you pay. The smaller issues were a missing cafetiere despite being told there was one, loo roll not replaced after room cleaning, and dishes taken away without the items being returned. Not impressed.

The apartments are really nice, clean and well located, and there’s awesome artwork in the hallway. The staff are super friendly. Still, it needs more attention to details. Picture hooks are very visible, the bed head makes a noise whenever you move, and the iron is under the sink while the ironing board is elsewhere. Sharing with someone else is awkward because there’s no extra electricity card. When one person leaves and takes the card out, the power switches off for whoever’s still in the room, even if they’re showering. Breakfast isn’t really worth the effort. Also, why is shower gel placed on the toilet? It’s called shower gel, so it should be in the shower. And the main thing for me, there’s no toilet brush or refresher. How are you meant to clean up discreetly without them?

The apartment was spacious and had handy amenities like a washer/dryer, dishwasher and iron. The windows are set too high, though, so you have to call reception every time you want them opened or closed.