Locasis Japanese Service Apartment

The location is awesome.

For the price, it's not a bad place, but several small issues frustrated me. I booked based on its 5-star rating, though there was only one review. It's advertised as a Japanese Service Apartment, but Japanese isn't spoken. The young man at reception seemed inexperienced, though he was a nice person. The building itself isn't new, but the room was clean and spacious, with a large closet, LCD TV, desk and safe. It also had a kitchen with a large refrigerator, stove, microwave, kettle, small plates, teacups and coffee cups. The bathroom had a bathtub, hot water came quickly, and the shower toilet was easy to use. The location on Go Van Nam Road, where it meets Le Thanh Ton Road, at the eastern edge of District 1's Japanese town, was convenient for the airport, shopping, sightseeing and dining. I understood this was a serviced apartment intended for long stays, but I spent three nights and four days there and wanted to share my impressions. Getting around the building was awkward because the elevator is between floors, so you have to use half a flight of stairs to reach it or your room. That's difficult with a heavy suitcase. There were also some odd gaps in the facilities: the bathroom had a mirror and hair dryer but no outlet; taking the key card when leaving turned off the room lights and refrigerator; the kitchen had a sink, stove, dishes and microwave but no pot. The sturdy safe was locked from the start and wouldn't open, and asking reception wouldn't resolve it. The large LCD TV only played Korean movies.