The Paramount

There's a lot of coming and going among people staying in these apartments. The hallways are quite dirty, and there's a constant smell of food, mostly from Asian cooking.

The apartments themselves are fine, but parking is a mess. There's no parking available right now because of construction, and even with proof that you're a resident with a permit, you get fined. Parcels are stolen each and EVERY time, the lifts are ALWAYS out of order, and food deliveries are impossible because the gate doesn't work. The parking spaces are smaller than a Mini Cooper. Just embarrassing.

I stayed for 2 nights and was stressed from the moment I arrived. I paid £40 a day for parking, £80 altogether, money I should have put toward a better apartment. Parking was "reserved", and although I asked about it twice before arriving, I was told it had been booked months ahead. That wasn't made clear when I booked. Surely spaces should be divided equally between apartments? I then waited an hour for the agent to let me in, and staff seemed a bit non pulsed about my complaints. The duplex is next to the building's dry riser, so in hot weather it gets hotter than it should. They gave me a complimentary fan, but it was broken. The apartment fire alarm kept going off at 10am for no reason. The photos are deceptive. The place is quite boxy, and at 30 degrees it became a hotbox. The two small living room windows aren't enough. On the plus side, the apartment, kitchen, and utensils were very clean, and the neighbours were quiet. It's very close to the town centre, yet set back enough to offer some respite from possible noise. The pillows and bed linen were great. And again, the apartment was very clean.

The apartment is spacious, nice, and well equipped, though the bathroom could use a refurb. What made arrival and departure difficult was getting into the building and sorting out parking. The access fob and parking pass are in the room, so you first have to leave your car somewhere while you go inside to get them. The bay markings don't match the pass or its description either. After a long drive, that wasn't great, and you have to do the same thing in reverse when leaving.