Smartflats - Central Antwerp

On arrival we didn’t not have our access code as the travel agent hadn’t passed it on - however we rang and a lovely lady worked it out and emailed it through to me. There was a truly vile smell in the lift and then we accessed the apartment. It was spacious, but basic - as you can see in the pics the double bed was on a base with no coverings. The apartment was just barely clean enough. The bathrooms seemed clean but it was generally dusty. The dishwasher is broken and when opened fell Heavily hurting my hand. There is significant building work next door that was noisy almost all the time (concrete saws and jackhammers) whilst this is not in the control of the venue, just be aware. Looks like at least 6 mths more work.

The pros: - The size of the apartment, the windows. - The proximity to the train station - Apartment heats very quickly - Kitchen hob was electric conduction and worked well. - The key collection was simple. The cons: - The lift - it is shared with Five Guys, the stench was horrendous. - The amenities for the kitchen - cheap Ikea items, mismatched wine glasses, a poor array of knives for cooking. - Furnishing that are worn out with use and dirty. - A shower that lacks a decent flow - Building site opposite with floodlights shining in day and night - Curtains that do not meet and leave substantial gaps. - Noise from sirens, window glazing and seals were poor. - The bed was ridiculously soft. - Check-in from the external entry point was fiddly, no light externally to see what numbers you're pressing in the dark. - The lift buttons are slow and entering passcodes failed a few times. Overall, I was unimpressed. The pictures are not at all representative. It could be an amazing space and for the price, I would have expected a lot better.

There location of this property is good - right in the middle of the shopping street and close to the station. That’s where the good stuff ends. Old and dusty furniture, we arrived to find a broken and smashed microwave - so we couldn’t warm up food for our one year old. We also found a number of cockroaches. After trying to find a way to contact the property (through an app...), I was promptly told (politely) that nothing could be done about the microwave until the weekday, and they would investigate the cockroaches and dusty furniture. No further response. It’s not the cheapest place at all, and with such basic flaws and lack of support, I think this is one place to be avoided.

Smartflats offered a great price and excellent location - then again there's no such thing as a free lunch! The flat itself was spacious and comfortable for the most part. It was a little too hot with no airconditioning and the single pedestal fan was inadequate. The central location was a big plus, there was no shortage of places to eat and drink, and the railway station was a couple of minutes away. The central shopping area was also very close. This is where the good stuff ends and the problems begin... Aside from the heat, which prevented a decent night's sleep, the flats are located outside the Anwerp Towers which are in the process of being demolished. Work starts at 6:30 am with Jack-hammers and drills! The windows are only single glazed and the ear plugs provided (a bit worrying that the owners know they're necessary) don't work. Our flat also had a large mirror leaning against the wall, rather than mounted on it. There was no lampshade on the light in the main living area, the bulb in the kitchen area did not work, the dishwasher had no 'front' to it, so was unusable - it also had screws sticking out of it so would represent a significant hazard to small children. The lights in the bathroom were hanging loose from the ceiling and there was nothing to hold the shower head on the wall. Finally there was a curtain missing from one window so there could be no privacy. On the plus side - the communications from the owners was good with entry codes e-mailed in good time. There was a spacious fridge, free tea and coffee with UHT cartons of cream, a DVD player and some English films. I appreciate my comments seem fairly damning, but for the price it wasn't all bad and I'd think about staying here again if I was back in Antwerp.

Half the doors didn't even work. Blood stains in the bathroom. Limited towels. Floors boards misshapen. Entrance to the building smells all the time especially the elevator. Share the lobby with the five guys so can use the elevator half the time during the day.

No heating . Floor warped terrible. No remote control. No communication to change late at night from the hotel. No light in bathroom light missing from ceiling - led me on that someone would contact too late at night to change hotels -3 outside freezing night. Money not refunded. However we booked through ******* and they arrange another hotel

Worst apartment and company ever. We booked with 5 friends, when we arrived the code to enter the building did not work. We could only reach them by WhatsApp, they told us the would fix everything so that we could enter the apartment. After 2 hours the said that best option was free cancellation. So we stould there with al our stuff. Late at night we had to find another hotel. But the worst part is that we did not receiver our money back till today… Never go to a smartflats apartment

Great central location but couple of issues - lights in bathroom didn't work, there was a massive ridge in the middle of the floor (trip hazard) & the fridge was not working - in fact it was running very hot & there was a burning smell in the unit (plastic was warping inside fridge around light) - a clear fire risk. When informed Smartflats simply thanked us for the info & made no attempt. to remedy or compensate. Poor service as we rented the apartment to prepare our own food & were limited.

Filthy, greasy on the floors, which stuck underneath our shoes . Rats on the balconny and even one inside the apt.. Dishwaser was out of order. The equipment for dishes was lacking. Dusty and badly cleaned on arrival. No one from the staff called back, when we contacted them. Bed bugs , we were severely bitten all over . Overall a disgrace and far away from what one should expect of a 4 star hotel.