Stay U Nique Reviews 4

Stay U-nique Napols I, Barcelona.

The location of the apartment is good, but negative sides outweigh that by far.

The place is full of cockroaches, especially in the kitchen. Hygiene problem.

Do not get fooled by the pictures. The place is very dark. All pictures have been taken with extra lights. Furniture in the apartment is worn down. Safe is not working and was not repaired despite asking, also other stuff is defect.
We received an email the day before we arrived informing us that the gas boiler does not work, so no hot water or heating. Stay U-nique was not able to offer another apartment. Repair was promised to take place in the morning after our arrival and a minimalistic compensation of a few Euro was offered. Repair took much longer, compensation was not paid and Stay U-nique is not responding anymore.
Two (single-glass) windows of the apartment (bedroom, corridor) go to the inner staircase of the apartment building leading to noise from the elevator and the staircase. Otherwise, the apartment is quiet.
Communication with Stay U-nique is a little bit complicated, with all the time different people addressing messages, or not responding at all.

All in all, not worth the t money and horrible experience.

My experience in this apartment (Malaga Center) was extremely disappointing and stressful. During our stay, there were multiple attempts to enter the apartment without prior notice, and on one occasion someone actually entered while my wife was inside working remotely. This created a serious concern regarding privacy and safety.

In addition, the apartment had several functional and maintenance problems. The electrical capacity was extremely limited, making it impossible to use two basic appliances at the same time (for example kettle and microwave, or oven and washing machine). This made normal daily activities very difficult.

There was also a persistent sewage smell coming from the bathroom drain, which forced us to keep the bathroom door closed, especially at night. The overall cleanliness of the apartment was also questionable, with hair and dirt found under the beds and kitchen items that needed to be washed before use.

These issues were reported during the stay, but they were not properly resolved.

Overall, the property did not meet the basic standards of comfort, cleanliness, and privacy that travelers expect when booking accommodation.

I would recommend future guests carefully consider these points before booking.

Upon arrival, the apartment (moneq) immediately smelled strongly musty and damp. This was not a mild or temporary odor but a persistent smell that made the space feel uncomfortable to stay in. Moisture was visibly present; including around wooden beams and in the gaps between the beams and the ceiling.

We attempted to turn on the air conditioning to help dry the air, but this was not an option for us. The unit was visibly dirty and unhygienic when switched on, which made the air quality feel even worse rather than better.

Within a short time, both of us experienced physical symptoms that we personally associated with staying in the apartment: pressure on the chest when breathing; a heavy runny nose; constant sneezing; red, irritated eyes. There was a new roll of kitchen paper in the apartment; we used the entire roll during the night due to constantly needing to blow our noses. We travel frequently and normally do not experience health complaints. A slightly humid room can happen. This situation felt clearly different to us and not acceptable.

After leaving the apartment, our symptoms subsided within approximately thirty minutes, which reinforced our personal conclusion that the indoor conditions were the cause.

The apartment also does not match the photos. The images are selectively taken. In reality, there are many gaps; cracks and seams in floors and skirting boards. The bathroom has no visible ventilation and does not appear as clean or fresh as shown online. The furniture is not identical to what is shown in the listing.

We arrived around midnight from the airport and contacted the host at approximately 00:15 because we felt we could not stay there. During the night, we contacted more than 30 hotels and several hostels in an attempt to leave, but due to a large conference in Barcelona, everything was fully booked. As a result, we were forced to stay one night. Around 04:30 we gave up; slept poorly and left the apartment at 08:00.

Communication with the host and customer service was difficult. Our concerns were repeatedly minimized. Someone was sent to the apartment who stated that they did not see a problem and that the full amount had to be paid. It took several days of repeated contact before a commitment was made to refund two nights.

At that point, it was explicitly stated that this refund would only be processed if we did not leave a negative review. We found this unacceptable and therefore are leaving this review to provide an honest account for other travelers.

For us, this stay was uncomfortable; not as presented and not a place where we felt safe or at ease. We would not book this apartment again.

As an experienced worldwide traveler this apartment appeared to be anything but what it is claimed to be. A total disgrace to hospitality, it is the worst accommodation I ever stayed at. In summary:

-> Kitchen was ultra unhygienic; it had dirty dishes, kitchen ware and appliances from previous guests, and it could not be used because there were no cleaning materials or towels.
-> Bathroom had thick black mildew all over the tiles, and woodwork was completely rotten and chipped off. The toilet was crammed into a very tiny corner, one can barely sit down without touching the filthy walls on each side. There was a ventilator but that did not work, hence the enormous amount of health hazardous mildew.
-> Bedroom was very dark and the window had to stay shut because of the stale, dirty air and filth on the outside.
-> Damaged walls and scratched off paint throughout the entire apartment;
-> Dirty windows and rotting woodwork in front and back of the apartment.
-> Dangerous and loose electrical wiring and open socket.
-> A outdated list of instructions on the inside of a kitchen cabinet for all appliances; the tv did not work; digital instructions were for a Samsung tv while the apartment had a Xiaomi tv.
-> No sound isolation whatsoever so that outdoor noises went on 24/7; vacationers, party people and municipal cleaning services.

Despite my numerous calls, emails and an official complaint with many photos to show the unhygienic and unsafe state of the apartment, the managing company, Stay U-nique and booking agent Booking.com did not come up with a suitable solution during my stay or since my return back home. Instead, they thanked me for alarming them about the very poor state of the apartment, and was made promises for improvement and a suitable alternative solution which never happened.
I share this experience because this form of misrepresentation, poor property management and customer service has to be addressed so that future guests are warned ahead of time and do not run into the same horrific experience. My travels were utterly ruined because of all this madness.

Fortunately, I count myself lucky that I never ever had a bad accommodation experience before this one. Hopefully it will be the only one!