Meridin Medini @ JB City Homestay

The house smelled musty, all the dining chairs were broken, the walls were peeling, and the sofa was dirty. All three air conditioner remotes were faulty. The toilet was badly clogged, its seat was dirty and loose, the pipes were leaking, and the main door wouldn't lock. Completely unacceptable. I messaged management several times on WhatsApp, but the replies were dismissive and unhelpful. They said, “Oh, the chairs are V-shaped, can still sit.” Seriously? When I sat on one, it creaked and the legs spread further apart. It clearly wasn't safe. They also said they had no other house because they were fully booked, but I checked Agoda and saw other houses available. When I raised the matter on a phone call, they just told me to contact Agoda for a refund. They took no responsibility. This kind of service and property standard is damaging Meridian’s reputation. Terrible service and a terrible stay. Never again!

My daughter was wearing a Muslimah swimsuit, but security still wouldn't let her into the pool. They seemed confused about the rules, which feel far too strict. Only bikinis or “swim attire” are accepted, which is pretty appealing. I hope management trains security properly on the different types of swimwear material.

The unit was roomy and worked well for our family. The deposit messages, though, were confusing. After booking, we were followed up with and asked at one point to pay online, but we couldn't tell if the request was real or spam. They agreed we could pay when we arrived, then said nothing about a deposit at check-in. When I showed the message, a staff member told me to ignore it. We didn't pay one, and I'm still not sure what happened.

The house was clean and comfortable, and the security guards were friendly and alert. The pool has been closed since May 3 and is still being repaired. It connects to blocks A, B and C.