Apple Apartments Belfast

Dream Apartments, where dreams go to die. I booked through my work travel provider and arrived after a full day travelling around the country. The car park felt dark and seedy, with discarded bedding and bin bags everywhere. Staff said they couldn’t find our booking, then called me a liar when I gave them the details. The person I dealt with was the most unhelpful I’ve encountered in hospitality. His boss came over from the “other hotel” ready for an argument, and he got one. While we were at reception, we saw a lot of unsavoury characters coming and going. The place felt like a scam, and I’m not sure how legitimate it is. It seemed like rooms could probably be booked by the hour. AVOID.

I stayed at Dream Apartment Belfast on the 19th of December. They asked me to send a £100 deposit by bank transfer because, they said, their card machine “wasn’t working”. The deposit still hasn’t been returned after checkout. I called and emailed repeatedly, but calls went unanswered or I was told the finance team would be contacted. There was no explanation or follow-up, and no reason was ever given for keeping the money. They’ve since changed their phone number, so I can’t contact them directly. Being based in the Republic of Ireland makes the whole thing even more frustrating. I was also told they couldn’t provide a receipt because I’d paid by bank transfer, which I find unacceptable. I’ve reported it to NI Consumerline, as this appears to breach the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and I’m considering taking it to the Small Claims Court. Poor communication, no transparency, and unprofessional handling of customers’ money. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The location is great if you’re going out in central Belfast, and we did get our deposit back within 48 hours of checkout. The apartment itself was disgustingly dirty, smelly, and noisy, though. We took photos when we arrived. The place had a strange smell, and the bathroom tap was broken and kept dripping. We were put in the wrong room, with a street view instead of the river view we’d booked. It was VERY noisy, which left little chance of finding anything positive about the apartment. There seemed to be a certain clientele staying there, and we had several noise and smell problems from nearby rooms. The receptionist was attentive when I complained about the noise. I know that’s not easy to control, but it’s something to keep in mind when booking. Please read the other reviews too, they sum this place up pretty well. AVOID.

This property is a big scam. I booked Dream Apartments Belfast through Agoda and paid a £100 refundable security deposit at check-in. My written receipt says it would be returned within 72 hours after checkout. I checked out on 4 January without any damage, but still haven’t received the money. I asked Agoda to help recover the £100, but they said they couldn’t get through to Dream apartment. It seems to me that Agoda and this property are both doing this kind of scam.