Robert M.
I’d stay here again, and I’d revise this review if things improve. I’m a property owner too, and I keep my rental affordable while maintaining it to a standard that brings guests back. Word of mouth has kept my place fully occupied for 14 years. Here, though, the apartment needed both cleaning and renovation. I rate it five out of ten for those reasons. The owner may mean well, and I think more attention to cleanliness and upgrades could help the place keep customers and earn better reviews. The location is a big plus. Robinson Shopping Department Store & Mall is downstairs, there are many restaurants and a money exchange nearby, and the U.S. Embassy is a 15-minute walk away. The apartment also has a computer and printer for guests, a lovely balcony view, plus an in-building gym and swimming pool. But when I arrived, it wasn’t clean. The refrigerator had hair in the door and dirty shelves. Some silverware was dirty, with dead roaches stuck to it. The floor had hair, footprints, and small bits of debris, and the grout needs cleaning. There was dust on wall items, old wallpaper, filthy rugs that need cleaning or replacing, and drains that need clearing. There’s a roach problem that the whole building should be sprayed for. The wall AC below the bed is noisy and blows air over the bed. The building was built in 2003, so it was 16 years old in 2019. From what I saw, it needs exterior and interior paint. The wooden runners and hallway ceiling wood should be replaced with tile unless they’re going to be maintained. With this much foot traffic, the floor grout needs cleaning or replacement every eight years or less. The three elevators also need door maintenance because they close too quickly while people are getting in. There’s no computer cafe in Robinson Shopping Mall or within walking distance. As for kitchen supplies, a rental apartment shouldn’t need more than four of each item: silverware, plates, knives, and drinking glasses, along with one set of pots and pans and one set of plastic or acrylic cooking utensils. A 500-peso, or 10USD, cleaning fee isn’t enough for an entire apartment, though it might work for a room. When guests see a dirty place, they may not care how they use it. That’s why I take photos of places I stay, so owners, future guests, and the website agency can see the actual condition and what customers are getting.
