Westport Serviced Apartments

The one good thing was how close the apartment was to where we needed to be. Otherwise, it wasn’t a good experience. The photos can be misleading: when we arrived, there were big balls of dust and other crumbs on the floor, and I couldn’t tell whether anyone had vacuumed. The place was supposed to sleep four, but there were only two cups. The bathroom wasn’t acceptable to me. The sink was dirty, the toilet seat wobbled and felt as if it could break, and the toilet paper ran out, so we had to buy our own. The shower gel bottle was there but empty. There were two seagulls on the balcony, which was very dirty. In the hallway, the automatic lights came on only after you’d stumbled halfway along in the dark, almost at the door.

The staff were friendly and keen to help, but the state of the place was grim. Our apartment had a broken window and faulty locks, and the furniture was sparse and dated. Worst of all, the toilet was blocked, with what looked like a plunger left in it and excrement coating the bowl. We reported it at check-in before leaving for a wedding, but it was still in the same state when we got back. It wasn’t cheap, either. I waited to post this until the £100 security amount taken from my credit card at check-in had been returned. As a Scot, I felt embarrassed for visitors to the city.

The apartment was spacious and in a great location, but the experience was really average. It hadn’t been fully cleaned, despite the strict rule that you must leave by 10am or pay extra. If they’re that strict about checkout, why wasn’t the apartment clean? The apartments need a complete overhaul. I noticed lots of broken windows and doors. Wouldn’t recommend.

The five of us were impressed at first by the penthouse apartment’s decor, high ceilings, curved staircase between the two levels and all the space. That first impression didn’t last. Many of the lights were missing bulbs, including most of the bulbs in the chandeliers, and some lights shorted out during our stay. The electrical installation seemed very poor. Kitchen sockets were loose and falling from the walls, exposing bare wiring, and I think the building needs an immediate electrical safety inspection before someone is seriously hurt. The supplied fan heater in one room especially needs attention. At night, with no lights in the hallway, it was hard to get the key into our door. One bedroom handle was just sitting in place without fixings, and the door was out of line with its frame, almost impossible to shut. I wouldn’t fancy getting trapped inside it once it was closed. There were other maintenance problems throughout. A chair at the ten-seat dining table collapsed because its back supports were broken. Blind cords, glasses and other items were damaged, and both outdoor heaters on the balcony were out of order, which wasn’t great in October. The bathrooms also had serious issues. The toilet bowls weren’t secured properly to the floor and moved when used, and the toilet seats were the wrong size. Shower handles were broken and the screens were completely loose, another health and safety concern. We were left with partly used rolls of two-ply toilet paper and nearly empty bottles of body wash. In one bedroom, a sewage smell got so strong that we had to keep the windows open into the evening. The shower traps were full of old, decaying hair and looked rancid, which can’t have helped. Cleanliness was acceptable in some areas and poor in others. More attention is needed, but above all, the dangerous lack of maintenance and repairs needs to be addressed as soon as possible. I’m just glad we were all good company and could make light of it.