Aek Udon Apartment

The mattress was another problem. It was so thin I could feel the springs, as other guests had also complained. The spring side was facing up and the soft side down. I hope that was just a mistake, because otherwise it’s a real issue. During the day, the cleaning staff were noisy and disturbed people trying to sleep after night shifts. More than once I went to the office and the manager wasn’t there, while the other staff couldn’t speak English and weren’t able to help. I spent several months here after visiting other major Thai cities. I wanted to see a different side of Thailand, but work meant I couldn’t travel around, and I thought I might stay here before going back to Hong Kong. Now that I’ve left, I feel it’s time to give a fair review. I’m unlikely to return to this city, though. The vibe isn’t for me, and it seems more common to run into people with attitude problems. The apartment is used as a dormitory for hospital staff, so the neighbors are nurses and doctors. They’re educated and generally quiet, which made for a peaceful environment. Short-term rentals are flexible, too, and suit travelers who can’t commit to a long lease. The downsides outweighed those positives by a lot. The staff, including the female manager, were extremely unprofessional, which I suspect came from a lack of proper education and training. They couldn’t even prepare a proper receipt. Over my four months there, I had to keep asking for basic things like putting my name on it, recording the electricity meter reading, and getting the dates right. I never saw the staff smile when I went to the office to extend my stay or pay a bill. It felt like I was begging them for free accommodation. I know it’s a budget hotel, but it’s also an apartment affiliated with a hospital. The staff should be kind and professional because how they act affects the hospital’s reputation. I can’t imagine how patients or their family members feel when they get that kind of cold treatment. They advertised daily cleaning for VIP rooms, but that didn’t match my experience. Two weeks after moving in, I put up the cleaning sign, and that evening the floor and furniture were still dusty. It seemed the staff either gave the floor a perfunctory sweep or didn’t clean it at all. They didn’t even mop. Udon was quite dusty during the dry season, so the room got dirty fast. I stopped asking for cleaning after that. Luckily it was a small room, so I bought a cloth and cleaned it myself to avoid dealing with staff who seemed full of negative energy. I won’t outright call the cleaners lazy, but they clearly didn’t seem to enjoy the work or show much enthusiasm. The payment system was confusing, too. I moved in halfway through the month and expected to pay the previous month’s electricity and water bills along with the coming month’s rent. The manager insisted I pay rent first, then come back at the end of the month for the utility bills. It seemed like taking a picture of the electricity meter was too much trouble, so customers had to return twice a month. Receipts were confusing as well, often missing my name, the meter reading, or the water bill month. When a billing issue came up at checkout, the manager lost her composure and couldn’t explain it calmly or clearly. Her limited English may have made the discussion hard, but she could have used a translation app. I understand this is a budget place, but I expected more care. The location has some advantages, and the neighbors were quiet, yet the repeated problems with staff, cleaning and billing made the stay very difficult.