Blanco Apartment Hotel

We were in the room when managers knocked aggressively on our door to check whether anyone was staying there. When problems came up, they kept blaming one another instead of offering even a simple apology. It was just bad and felt amateurish, like they either work together or they don’t. There were hair clogs in the bathroom, and although we booked for two, only one mug set was provided. The bed was very springy. The gym and many other things didn’t look like the pictures.

The bed frame was coming apart, with wood and laminate peeling away, so I wouldn’t sit or put weight on it in case I was charged if it broke. The entrance door looked ugly and dirty, with marks like it had been kicked repeatedly. Inside, the curtains were extremely dirty with black stains, and the walls had scratches, cracking paint, and patches that had simply been painted over. The bathroom had cracked and broken tiles throughout, a loose faulty tap that moved when used, and a lock that kept sticking and squeaked loudly. There were moldy patches inside the mirror and some mold on the ceiling. The towels smelled, and both pillows had black stains, so bring your own towels and expect to sleep with your face on stained pillows. The rooms were the opposite of what the Agoda, Google, and other listing photos show. It looked cheap in person, more like a one-star motel than a three-star hotel. The lobby was the only somewhat decent-looking part. It’s an old place that’s supposedly being refurbished, but the work didn’t feel complete, with paint drips along the common walkway. Communication and first impressions were poor. There was no proper reception counter, just a pop-up booth, and only one lift was working during my stay. I’d called ahead to request no corner rooms and was told that was fine, but both rooms we got were corner units. They also said every room was non-smoking, yet the whole walkway smelled of cigarettes because workers were smoking there during the renovation. We asked for a quiet room and were told they were all quiet. At night, we constantly heard loud exhaust from cars, tankers, lorries, and motorcycles on the road. During the day, drilling and banging from the ongoing renovation made it impossible to rest somewhere quiet.

The apartment was spacious and clean, and both beds were very comfortable. Ours had two bedrooms and three bathrooms, with air conditioning throughout, a sofa, TV, fridge, kettle, kitchen utensils, and a stove. Both balconies, one in the living room and one in the main bedroom, were a nice feature. Two bathrooms had showers and hot water, and all the bathrooms were spacious. We stayed one night with family. The building was still being renovated, so there was some noise. There weren’t any shop lots around, though it was fairly close to The Spring mall. Gated basement parking was provided. There’s a free washer and dryer in the basement laundry room, but you need to bring your own detergent. The nightly rate felt affordable for the facilities and the quality of the apartment. It’s a good, spacious, clean place with gated parking, and I’d consider staying here again.

The apartment was great for a family, with three spacious rooms, a good living room and kitchen, and a bathroom for each room. It also felt safe. I could have rated it four or five stars, but the hotel was undergoing major renovation on the ground floor, including the entrance lobby. The parking underneath was quite narrow, and driving down or back up felt uncomfortably close to the wall.