View from the balcony

These photos are taken from Airbnb site and the real apartment looks 90 percent similar. The location for this apartment is fabulous because it is very near the city and casino. Hence we don't have to park our rental car in the city which can cost a bomb.

Rented for 2 nights for about SGD$600. $50 per pax per night. I think the price is very affordable for the location.

We didn't get to see the owner of the apartment and he seemed an expert in doing this because he just send us a text message via airbnb with all the instructions needed (e.g.: carpark space/ locks).

I enjoyed my stay here and would definitely recommend to friends and family who are planning to go over. The only con: 1 toilet shared among 6 people! 

2) Melbourne (Brunswick)

Entire Apartment,  3 Bedroom, 1 Toilet

Standing outside the apartment. 

The walk way from the main door to our 3 bedrooms and living room. Weird dimension. Haha

3 Bedrooms, sorry for the mess. 

Walkway to the toilet, kitchen and living room

Living room

This apartment is located 25 minutes drive away from the city, hence the rental was cheaper. Rented for 2 nights for about SGD$480. $40 per pax per night. There are some nice cafes located nearby.

The living room was packed with entertainments such as PS 2 or 3 (can't remember) guitar, DVD player etc. 

The hosts were very kind but we didn't get to meet them on the first day because we were travelling from great ocean drive and only reached at 9 plus at night. They provide us with tea, milk and snacks  which made us feel very welcome.

On the last day of our check out, the host was there to assist a smooth process for us. I really enjoyed my stay in this apartment. 

The minus point for this apartment was the non carpeted flooring but they do provide heater. Hahaha the host did tell us about the noise from the tram located outside the house but I guess it didn't bother us and also 1 toilet shared among 6 of us. 

3) Taipei (Ximending)

Entire Apartment, 1 Bedroom, 1 Toilet

My most recent stay in September 2015 in Taipei which is also the reason for this post. The experiences was a awful one. It's not like being in danger but I rather book a hotel than to stay in this apartment.

We stayed a total of 4 nights for $480. $60 per pax per night. When we stepped into the house with the host's friend, let name him Alex. as the host was not in town. There was an cockroach that welcome us which made us very awkward. What a bad start. Haha 

Well, enough of his explanation of the existence of cockroach, we proceed with our plan out. 

Return for the day and don't even want to sit on the sofa after I shower. The sofa stained with ?? and there were little small insect crawling on the floor.

The bed sheet with yellow stains all over. I know this is due to old bedsheets but I just felt disgusted. 

Anyway we called Alex and he came over to change bed sheet for us and guess what, the bed sheet he changed was even more dirty than the initial. I guess he was really embarrassed and quickly offered to change to another bed sheet. 

When we thought everything was finally okay, we went up to the bed and there was a awful smell. The smell of perspiration >.< Sigh! We were too embarrassed to call Alex over to change bed sheet again so we just lay a towel on top of the bed sheet and slept. 

Next morning, Alex came over to make sure we had a good night sleep and we did complain about the smell from the bed. He did not hesitate to change bed sheet for us again which make me feel so bad. I offered my help to change and I realised the smell was from the mattress and not the bed sheet. Opps Need febreze!! I told him it's was alright because the smell is going to stay. I can see he was helpless and trying his best to accommodate our requirements. 

Of course the toilet cleanliness was no better. On our last day, the ceiling from the toilet was peeling off which landed on the floor. Sigh..

We decided to stay on since there was no refund and I guess we were lazy to find another hotel. The accommodation really affected our mood and we dread returning back every day. 

We were pissed because the photos from Airbnb appear to be so clean and had no bad reviews but the house was old and slightly dirty. We drafted up a bad review for the apartment but decided not to post it because how could we? Alex was so kind and nice. Sigh. So maybe that's the reason why there wasn't any bad review.

Anyway to give some credit to the apartment is the location. Located in Ximending, really very convenient to travel around and of course the very kind Alex. 

Moral of the story for myself is to take reviews from Airbnb as a pitch of salt. Hopefully my next experience will be an awesome one!

Good Night!