Hydro SECC Apartment

The flat is a good size and the location is good, but the owner made the whole stay stressful. I had to contact him twice about getting access, and he was inflexible because he had travelled elsewhere in Scotland. He kept saying everything was last minute, even though I'd booked weeks ahead. He demanded a £200 security deposit by bank transfer or PayPal before we'd even seen the property. Something could have been damaged before we got there, and it was, so I strongly advise against doing that. He sent his sister to check us in, while complaining that it was inconvenient for him. Check-in had to be exactly at 4pm, despite the flexible time I'd been given, which disrupted the start of our trip. His sister wrote our credit card details on a piece of paper, saying it was the only way to let us in. That's a serious security breach. Inside, the walls were marked, the garden had cigarette ends everywhere, and the living-room rug was badly frayed and tripped a couple of us. It looked dirty underneath when moved. There was something left in the freezer, so the place hadn't been cleaned thoroughly. I'd asked ages ago for the beds to be split into singles and he agreed, but didn't do it. That was the only message he answered, until he suggested I pay extra for another bed I didn't need. Check-out was 10am, leaving us only from 4pm to 10am in the flat. We were about 15 minutes late leaving, but he was quick to contact us to get out and had been hard to reach when we needed to get in. The main concerns are being asked for cash before arrival and having card details written down. He seemed interested in easy money without providing the service. There are other flats in the same block that may be run better. After I left an honest review, I got unwanted messages. He threatened to take money from a card, which suggests the written details were still on paper two days later. Then people he knows began posting what I believe are fake reviews. Anwar Mcinally is connected to him on Facebook. I also got harassing texts all day after posting my review. Final update: days after we left, the host tried to charge me £50 over the car park key card, which we'd left in the safe box because nobody used it. That's another reason not to put £200 into his bank account. AVOID AVOID AVOID. I believe the reviews after mine are connected to him and fake.

I've booked this exceptionally clean apartment several times. There's plenty of free parking, and it's only a five-minute walk from the Hydro and SECC.

The apartment was first class, clean, and in a perfect spot for the SECC and city centre. We had a wonderful stay and would happily come back.