Royal Athenaeum Suites

Everything we needed was there for a nice stay away, and the location is super. Check-in at 4pm is later than we’d like, though.

There’s a lot included here for the money. The location is right in the middle of Aberdeen, a short walk from the train and bus stations and lots of shops, pubs and places to eat. The kitchen is properly stocked, with a small fridge and freezer, dishwasher, stove, oven, toaster, kettle, microwave, dishes and cooking utensils. The cupboards also have a washing machine, ironing board and iron, clothes horse and hair dryer. The bathroom was very clean, with a big shower, a hot water tank in the room, fluffy towels, body wash, hand soap and shampoo. In the bedroom there’s a large, comfortable bed that squeaked a bit but didn’t bother me, and there’s a TV in both the bedroom and lounge. The air conditioning worked well. I didn’t need the underfloor heating, but it was there. The staff were nice, but getting through the door for check-in was difficult. You had to call a phone number to be let in, and it didn’t work for me because I don’t have a UK SIM and WhatsApp couldn’t call them. Once checked in, the room key card opens the door.

The room itself had a huge crack across the shower floor, the shower door had come off its rails and wouldn’t close, and the windows were broken and wouldn’t open. It was stuffy the whole time. The customer service was abysmal too. Booking.com said the suites were dog friendly, and we’d added a note that we were bringing a dog. The woman at the front desk said, “No, no, no you didn’t,” then complained that she’d have to move us to a dog-friendly room and sighed loudly while changing it on the computer. She charged £25 per night for the dog and wouldn’t take cash. That’s what the more upmarket Malmaison charges, but they provide a dog bed, treats and toys. It felt steep for a low-quality apartment. At 10am the next morning, a woman banged on our door to take away our rubbish. When I said good morning to the woman at the desk as we left, she just stared at me and didn’t reply.

The building is historic and right in central Aberdeen, an easy walk into town. There’s a Brewdog pub and a coffee shop next door. Entry to both the main building and the room is by key card, and a lift serves the floors. My room was huge, with a great bed and TVs in both the lounge and bedroom, though the lounge remote was missing. The windows were single-glazed and dusty from nearby construction, with roller blinds. The kitchen had a microwave, under-counter fridge freezer, toaster, glasses, coffee cups and kettle. The shower was huge with two heads, there was plenty of hot water, and the white towels were fluffy. WiFi was fast and secure, and it was very quiet all night. The front desk helped me with the air conditioning to warm the room, which made it very comfortable. I’d use it again. I paid £76 on booking.com.