Covesign Suite, The Shore Kota Kinabalu

The hotel had a bad smell, and the way the fire was handled was frightening. The alarms never sounded, and nobody woke us or told us what was happening. I only found out an hour later when a tourist ran along the floor warning people. The hotel section had been given water, but the holiday apartments where the fire happened were left on their own. Even after that, a customer service worker tried to send us back into a building that still smelled of smoke. We were paying guests, and there was no consideration for our safety.

The sunset view couldn't make up for how bad this apartment was. I stayed on level 21 at LW suites after being taken in by the Agoda photos. It was dirty, smelly and mouldy, and the beds were really uncomfortable. The soundproofing was awful too. If you paid a deposit, you could only check out from 8am, when reception started work. Don't be tempted by the Agoda discount. At around RM70 to RM110, the price reflected the quality.

The location worked well for getting around. Grab was easy to get, and Centrepoint, Surian, Gaya Street and the clock tower were within walking distance. I stayed for six days and five nights, mostly through rainy weather, but had a sea view and felt safe. The place was good overall, with a kitchen for reheating or cooking, an iron, towels, toothbrushes, mini Colgates, soap and aroma boxes. They also provided a laundry basket under the dressing table. The lifts no longer need a card, which made things smoother, and the room door uses a button and card system. On check-in day, the management team sent several videos and pictures to explain things. Check-in was at 3pm and checkout at 11am, times that aren't ideal for older guests or families with children. Early check-in or extra checkout hours cost MYR 50 per hour. There's also a MYR 200 deposit when you sign the terms at check-in. They returned it after checking the room following checkout. It wasn't easy to get an invoice for my Booking.com reservation, whether for a claim or my own records. I could only print a receipt-style document from the email or app. They could also have supplied an extra mat at the entrance and a separate bin for the bathroom. If you need somewhere to leave luggage for a few hours before check-in or after checkout, there's a storage room on the ground floor, but it's very expensive and the prices change from time to time.

The condo is nice, but getting in and out takes far too long. The lifts are slow and there aren't enough for the number of guests, so the wait can reach almost 10 minutes. It's even worse at checkout and other busy times. Management should add more lifts, at least six, to make things quicker and more comfortable.