Premium Apartment by Hi5 - Ferenciek tere - 3 BDR

We struggled to find the place, and even the taxi driver couldn't locate the apartment. When we eventually got there using Google Maps, it was in a kind of tenement block, just past a Thai 'massage' parlour. The apartment was old and tatty, though it seemed clean at first. Then bugs started appearing at night, crawling on the walls and in the bed. Ugh! We were moved quickly to a much better apartment one floor below, but the experience cast a shadow over the holiday. Do some research before booking.

The main issue for me was the management. I arrived on a train from Romania. Around noon, the hotel called but the call didn't connect, then texted to ask if I was checking in that day. Once my phone had reception at a station, I called back and said the train was due at 9:30 and I'd come after that. A long border delay meant we didn't arrive until 10 p.m. They called almost as soon as I got off the train to ask where I was, and I said I was on my way. The owner acknowledged that, then said there was a €30 late check-in fee after 10 p.m. I didn't reply because I couldn't find that in the rental agreement and thought we'd sort it out when I got there. When I finally reached the room, someone helped me up the steps. He asked for the €30, and I said it wasn't in the agreement. He called the owner, who yelled at me, said I was ruining his Christmas, that it wasn't about the money and he was far richer than me, and that I hadn't read the agreement like everybody else. He said he'd lock me out if I didn't pay and make me pay to get my belongings. He also said he'd send someone to collect the money and told me to have it ready. The threat to lock me out was clear. Saying someone would come collect the money sounded threatening too, though that could have been a cultural misunderstanding. From his tone, I was pretty sure he was trying to scare me. I just laughed. The next morning, his man came for the money. I refused again because it wasn't in the contract I'd agreed to. He pulled out printed pages of their online rental agreement, where a late fee was listed under additional options. Since when is a late fee an additional option? I suspect it was added after our conversation the night before. I left that morning and called Travelocity. They spoke to the owner, who said he hadn't threatened me and claimed I'd called to say I would definitely arrive by 10 p.m., instead of telling them the train was due at 9:30. A few hours later, at my new place, I was told this wasn't an unknown situation with this location. As for the apartment itself, it wasn't easy to find. It's down a cluttered passage behind massage parlours, and you get the impression the rooms might also be used for short stays. There's no lobby, and the apartments are accessed with what looks like an insecure key fob system. They say there's an elevator, and there is one in the building, but it may not take you to your room. The claim about a Select Number bed is completely false. The mattress was old, barely comfortable, and definitely not adjustable by a select number. The rooms looked fairly clean and well kept, but one spider crawling across my arms and legs near the bed kept me awake. I couldn't find a way to control the temperature either. I spent 20 minutes trying to warm up the cold room in this fairly small apartment, then gave up. That's the basic stuff you'd expect from a mid-budget rental. So check in early, and be prepared for bugs, cold rooms, and possible short-term renters coming from a massage. Try to avoid talking with the owner. I'd give the place a negative rating if I could. I ended up somewhere better and cheaper for the rest of my stay, so I suppose I should be thankful for the threats in a way, since otherwise I might've put up with everything else.

I spent hours outside with my family and couldn't get a response from the person running the place. None of my calls or emails were answered, despite sending screenshots to Expedia. I lost $400, and Expedia couldn't recover the fees. This place feels like a fraud.

We were given no way to check in or get into the building after booking. I called the listed number around 50 times and nobody picked up. DO NOT BOOK THIS PLACE. It feels like a scam, and whoever runs this dump is an absolute joke of a human.