Artisan Quarter Serviced Apartments

The kitchen had everything you’d need except food, and the free WiFi, bus links, and park across the road were handy. The room was quiet and tidy, the bed was comfy, and the bathroom was clean. I wish we could’ve stayed longer. We’ll be back.

The studio apartment itself is lovely and well located, but parking was a serious problem for us. When we arrived there were no spaces. The helpline had no onsite staff, and the person I spoke to was rude and not helpful at all. She said we should be grateful parking was free when city parking averages £25 a day. That didn’t help us find a space. We were told to use the street, but there was nowhere there either, so we parked some distance away. We got a space at the apartments the following day, then went to the supermarket and came back to the same problem. We met a couple who’d been staying there for months. They said it was often like this, with people unable to park or getting blocked in by double parked cars. There are more apartments than spaces, and no gate or parking control. City centre parking is tight, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some cars there belonged to people who weren’t guests. Building work has also taken away part of the parking area, though I couldn’t tell if that’s temporary or permanent, and there was debris in parts of the car park. It seems like that could be dealt with if they cared about customers as much as revenue. If the construction means more apartments are added, this will only get worse. If you’re driving, this may not be the place for you.

The apartment and booking deserve four stars: it’s in a great location and has what you need for a short stay. But leaving was a frustrating end to an otherwise very good stay. Another car had blocked mine in, and after walking round the building for ten minutes, I phoned the office. They identified it as a caretaker’s car and called him to move it. He wasn’t apologetic at all. When I said it was thoughtless, he just replied, “Well I work here.” He should have parked somewhere else, or, if there really was no option, left his mobile number in the car.

A nice stay, but I’d give it 7 out of 10 at most. The apartment was noisy because it faced the main road, and the front door was hard to shut. It could’ve been cleaner too: the oven looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks, and the towels weren’t great.