Luxurious Studio Room @ Grand Asia Afrika Apartment

The unit we were assigned was awful. It smelled old and abandoned, and the floors and rugs were dull and dirty. The sheets on the bed and pillows were covered in stains, like they hadn’t been washed in ages. The tenant said it could sleep six adults, but it was cramped and really seemed suited to five: two in the main room, one in the single room, and two on the sofa bed. The bedrooms were close together and small, with hardly any room to move. Worst of all, the AC didn’t work. Six adults couldn’t get a decent night’s sleep in that tiny place without cool, fresh air, even though Bandung is cooler and less humid than Jakarta. We managed to cancel before staying, but Airbnb didn’t give us a full refund. Maybe the tenant worried we’d leave a bad review, but I still want to say what happened. We booked through Airbnb because my family and I needed four days and three nights somewhere low-budget with good facilities in a convenient part of Bandung. We chose Tower D, Unit 15, Level 20 after seeing more than 50 stays and lots of positive reviews on the listing, so we expected it to be reliable. I hadn’t thought accommodation like this could exist right in the city center. The problems were obvious as soon as we entered the tower. It smelled like an old, abandoned building, and the lighting was dim, which gave the place a spooky feel. I was furious about the lack of COVID-19 distancing rules in the small lift. There were no stickers or floor markings telling people to keep apart or limiting it to five people. Other tenants got in without masks while my five family members and I, all adults, were already inside. Then another unmasked man tried to squeeze in with a wide piece of furniture while the lift was even more crowded. We were packed together and bumped against parts of the lift, even though we were trying to avoid touching things in public during the outbreak. I understand tenants treat the apartment as home, but corridors and other areas outside a unit are public spaces used by everyone, including security guards. People need to wear masks and keep their distance there. I can’t speak for every unit in the apartment or tower, but to this unit’s tenant and the management and maintenance teams: if you want people to keep renting here, for short or long stays, there’s a lot to fix. Until the outbreak is over, please apply COVID-19 precautions in all public areas, including lifts and corridors. Until improvements are made, I’d say this place is highly not recommended, especially for families with small children 😞😞😞

The electricity token costs 200% more. The road inside the apartment is broken, and parking costs 3 ribu for just 2 minutes. The main problem is that there’s no standby generator for the apartments. If the power goes out, all the apartments lose electricity. The generator only covers the lobby and elevator.

I stayed at Inap at Capsule. The view from my 19th-floor room was incredible 👌👌, and the pool was pretty nice, even if it wasn’t very big. It could be good for people who find Bandung hot during the day, haha. The thing I hated was the Tower D lift. It felt scary, like it was going to fall every time I reached my floor. I can’t really explain it ;/

Right in the middle of the city, close to burangrang street and all the Bandung food options there. Nice building and views, too.