Metro Apartments Victoria

The house itself was beautiful, and our room was perfect. Alex was helpful, but Zoe was inconsiderate about the noise: the office was right over our heads, and she would stomp around and do laundry outside our window in the middle of the night. Check-in was stressful too, since nobody was there when we arrived and we had to keep calling just to get inside. I panicked that we'd have nowhere to stay. The hosts weren't helpful, so I wouldn't use this management company again.

The room looked nothing like the pictures on the app, and when we asked for a refund, she lied and refused to give our money back. It's impossible to get hold of her. She seems to disappear like a ghost once she's got your money, and even the app's complaint service couldn't get it returned. The host is a liar and a fraud who only cares about money in her pocket, not her customers. If you're reading this, run as far away as you can. I wouldn't even give this place one star.

We lost two hours and missed a booking at a local attraction because nobody arrived to let us into our room. We'd planned our arrival, but the electronic lock instructions hadn't been sent. We had a code but didn't know how to enter it. After getting through the front door, we waited an hour and a half with no one there. They told us to leave our bags in the hallway, but we didn't want them sitting in a shared area, and nobody had even told us our flat number. Someone finally turned up around 4pm. The room still hadn't been cleaned, though at least we could put the bags somewhere safe. The room looked like the photos and was okay, but worn out and in need of repairs and paint. There were lots of broken things, the cleanliness was average, and there weren't enough plates or cutlery for four. Zoe kept changing the door codes and texting them to the person who'd booked. That got confusing and felt risky when we were out in London all day with a low phone battery, especially when our group split up. On our last day, we checked the drawer beside the bed before leaving and found keys, sex toys and lube. The second night, there was a huge bang downstairs. A few minutes later the police were hammering on our door looking for a suspect. It scared the children, and I don't know how they got through the front door. The location was okay, but we wouldn't stay again because of the poor communication and cleanliness. The listing said there was a staffed reception, but it's just a room by the front door, with nobody inside.

The apartment was generally clean, which is what you'd expect. But when we arrived, the owner, an Asian lady called Zoe, wasn't polite and looked really grumpy. I had probably the worst experience and will avoid this place like the plague. I only feel able to post this months later because she threatened to find me and cause me trouble. I hope Google can protect my identity.