Homely Serviced Apartments - Blonk St

A fabulous apartment in a great spot. Really lovely place to stay.

The two heaters didn't work, so we were freezing, and hot water ran out after one person had showered for ten minutes. There was none for the rest of the weekend, despite the place being advertised for four guests. At checkout, Peter from management tried to charge us £30 for a broken bin we hadn't even used, since we'd taken our rubbish to the reception bins. We disputed the charge because it seemed to be the cleaner's doing, and the bin certainly wasn't worth £30. Peter knew about the heating and hot water problems but did nothing, then ignored my calls and emails. We asked for a partial refund because we lacked basic heating and hot water, but didn't receive one. There are much better places to spend your money.

The location was the one upside: near the town centre, with takeaways and pubs nearby, though the immediate area felt rough. Everything else made this four-day stay exhausting. We thought parking was included, then were told just 24 hours before arrival that there was none, and my brother got a parking ticket. Inside, there was a strange smell, the window sills were covered in hundreds of dead flies, the toilet lock was broken and it didn't flush properly. The boiler failed and hot water was unreliable. The kitchen splashback was greasy, several bed slats were broken, and sharp corners were exposed where the bathroom floor grout had come away. The toilet bin was full of used sanitary towels, and the floors and surfaces looked untouched. After we contacted management, they sent a cleaner to apologize and clean the flat. She said she was management, and her manner was awful and not at all sincere. She did point out damp in a bedroom wardrobe and candidly warned us to move our things so they wouldn't be ruined. But when we raised the damp with actual management, they called us liars and said we'd caused it. Their attempt to fix the bed was to remove broken slats and shuffle others around, so the mattress sagged under any weight. We had several very uncomfortable nights, especially bad after my six-hour trip to Sheffield for a three-day festival. This was meant to be a luxurious place to relax and sleep well after long days on our feet. The owners' reaction was so unprofessional that it made the whole experience worse. You have to give at least one star to post, but this gets none from me. Save your money.

We found nearby street parking since the apartment didn't have its own, which was the only drawback. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, and it's in a good location. A nice apartment and very good value.