Waterside

I and three other retired adults rented this Waterside home for 2 weeks. The view from the balcony was picturesque and the location was almost perfect. The problem we had was access to the property. There are two digital locks that are controlled by a phone app. The one on the front door caused few problems. The one on the pedestrian gate by the street was a constant problem. From the first, when we arrived from the train station with our luggage, we could not open the gate, and stood along the street until someone exiting the apartment complex let us in. It continued like this for the next few days: sometimes the lock would work and sometimes we were locked out. After several emails and phone calls, we were told we would be provided with an “alternative entry solution.” We never were, and this continued to be an on-going frustration for the remainder of our two week stay. It is almost unimaginable that a property owner would not resolve an issue as significant as property access.

Nothing- we couldn’t get in<br/><br/>Their e-lock system was faulty. We gained access to the communal courtyard but couldn’t open the front door of the apartment. Frustrating phone calls with the host company for 1.5 hrs with no solution. We had to book ourselves to alternative accommodation in the end as it’s getting late and we were traveling with elderly family. When we were originally booking this apartment we saw there were some negative reviews on the host and on their lock system. We thought they must have had some alternative solutions by now as any decent host company would have, so took our chances. Alas big mistake! They have no contingent solutions at all and worse of all you get the feeling that they don’t even think this is not acceptable. There is no one nearby who can assist you. And they simply don’t see their system is total shambles. Avoid staying at this place. We booked to Raddison afterwards and I have never appreciated a standard business hotel so much after this unpleasant experience.

The location was excellent<br/><br/>It was a lot of money to pay for a small apartment with very small bedrooms and small (4’6”) beds. Not big enough for 2 normal sized adults. Bedrooms which left very little room to move around. <br/>The dishwasher was broken and not fixed throughout our stay. One wonders why, for a 4 day stay which cost £882 why it had not been checked before we arrived?<br/>In order to access the apartment, a phone key app had to be downloaded. This required internet access to work, and it didn’t always. To be standing outside in the cold with elderly friends while struggling to get in was deeply frustrating. Not having a key or fob leaves one vulnerable to whether internet coverage was adequate, which it often wasn’.<br/>The only means of contacting anyone was by phone, no human face, complete anonymity.

Clean rooms, convenient travel

Comfortable, quiet, nice river views<br/><br/>The door access system seemed overly complicated which was a little frustrating

This is a very well appointed apartment in a lovely location overlooking the river. It is in a central position so easy to walk to the cathedral, castle, restaurants and shops. The apartment was very clean on arrival and had all we needed for a comfortable stay. Just be aware that access to the property involves downloading an App onto your smartphone and using the phone to lock and unlock the outside gate and front door. This initially proved to be problematic and required a call to a help desk to reset the system.

Das Appartment war eigentlich ganz toll! Da man es aber nicht verlassen konnte, weil man sonst nicht mehr rein gekommen wäre, war Scheiße!<br/><br/>Es gab keine Schlüsselübergabe! Wir wurden online eingelassen und hatten keine Möglichkeit, wieder in das Areal zu kommen, da wir keinen Schlüssel für die Haupttür hatten. Telefonservice war unter aller Sau! zwei Tage nachdem wir abgereist sind, wurden wir angerufen, ob wir mittlerweile einen Schlüssel bekommen hätten!

Great location comfortable and clean<br/><br/>Had problems getting into gate from street but soon was sorted

Beautiful apartment overlooking the water. Really convenient location in the centre of Durham. Would definitely recommend.

Proximity to all amenities. The layout and facilities of the apartment. It was a bit corporate/clinical but I understand why.<br/><br/>Small point but the air fresheners were overwhelming and I had to shut them I. A cupboard but it took ages to get rid of the smell. Also (not owners'fault) but while we were waiting to sort out the access app (your staff were very helpful) we got to see the rats over the road checking out the rubbish - bit creepy!

Beautiful apartment and perfect location. Great value.<br/><br/>Their locks are operated by Nuki which should let your phone be your key. However, I never received the email with the activation code so we waited outside for over an hour while Host and Stay tried to figure out how to unlock the door. Didn’t hear from the actual host until the next morning. Host communication was not timely. Also, hot water is limited. Except for those things, once we were in it was great! And the locks did work eventually.

Brilliant location for us. Bed linen and towels were excellent quality<br/><br/>Very complicated system to set up digital door locks. Would have struggled without my son being there <br/>. Would have preferred a paper copy of instructions for appliances <br/>11 o'clock check out would suit most people

Good location. Pleasant lay out. Good shower.<br/><br/>The arrangements for getting into the property- total shambles. They have installed a smart key system but failed to make it work. Spent several days before arriving to try and get it sorted out. Kept going round and round in circles. Was assured it would work on the day - it didn’t. Eventually after many calls - I will escalate to tech team!!! I was given an override code to get in. Staff brought a real key the next day. Until then a (helpful) member of the team had to lock the door remotely. Very stressful. We were looking for alternative places to stay by the time they sorted the temporary fix.

Lovely flat in the centre of Durham. The kitchen had good quality equipment and beds were comfortable.<br/><br/>Issues were with Host and Stay. I paid more for Free Cancellation where it clearly stated No Prepayment needed, yet they took the full payment immediately I booked when there was still 2 months to go before the stay. When I queried this several times, I was either told their finance department would get in touch which they never did or that it was their policy to take all the payment and refund me if I cancelled. But that isn’t what the listing advertised when it said No Prepayment needed. I see they have removed No Prepayment needed from their listing since. <br/>Also they did not send the invitation code which had to be entered on the smart phone app in order to unlock the door of the flat despite me asking for it several times beforehand . I had to hang around outside for an hour after check in time before I could get in.

Perfect location and excellent flat right by the river we had missed an email re how to work lock system which resulted in difficulties gaining access but owner was fantastic at helping out

Located in an excellent spot by the river which allowed us to visit several places. Accommodation was clean. Slightly confusing with the door lock initially but fine once we mastered it.<br/><br/>We were asked to pay a non-refundable deposit for breakages. But have also received a message on leaving to advise this would be refunded. No refund as yet as it takes 14 days. This is confusing.