Marbia Furnished Units

The flat was well looked after, with roomy bedrooms, and shops and restaurants nearby. A friend suggested I stay here during Ramadan, and it worked well for my family.

I’d only recommend staying here for under three days. After that, the problems really start to wear you down. Here’s what I ran into: The apartment had no windows in either the living room or bedroom, and after three days I felt boxed in. The bathroom was dim, making shaving difficult, and the shower left a lot of water on the floor because the drain was poor. The mattress was so old that my back started hurting after four days, and I ended up sleeping on the floor. The air conditioner had no remote, just a red on/off button, so there was no way to adjust it. It only cooled, with no heating for Riyadh’s winter temperatures, which can reach 9 degrees Celsius. Wi-Fi was available only in the living area, with no signal in the bedroom. Speeds were usually better after 1 a.m., when most guests had gone to bed, but on weekends the connection was awful. When I complained about the bedroom signal, I was told it only reached as far as the living area and that I should use the internet there. The kitchen was missing basic tools, including a peeler, a decent knife, wooden and regular cooking spoons, a whisk, spatulas, tongs, a can opener, a mixer, and a blender, among other things. The range hood didn’t work. I only discovered that after a week, when cooking filled the room with smoke. The owner offered to move me, but I didn’t want to pack and unpack. There were hardly any power outlets in the living area, so working there and charging a device was difficult. In the bathroom, all they provided was soap and a towel, and even those had to be requested. I asked many times for toilet tissue and never got any. There was no drinking water included either. You had to buy it yourself at the market, and they only sold small bottles. In Riyadh’s dry weather, you need a lot of water, especially over a week. The gym was in terrible shape. None of the machines worked, from the treadmill to the weight machines. Staff said guests usually don’t use it, and the room smelled as if it hadn’t been looked after for ages. Room cleaning was also unreliable. Five or six times, I asked in the morning for the room to be cleaned, came back from work to find it untouched, and was promised it would be done next time. The same thing kept happening. This is an apartment hotel, and for a stay of less than four or five days it might be manageable. For longer, I’d choose somewhere else.

The main hassle was parking, since it’s full most of the time. The staff were friendly and always willing to help, though. Best of luck to the team.

Good price, with a grocery store, ATM, and pharmacy close by, and the mall isn’t far either. There’s even a playground for kids, so what more could you ask for? Just a shame the sheets weren’t clean.