Host & Stay - Grafton Woodshack

Parking was a bit of a nightmare but enjoyed the walk

Location couldn’t have been better

Do yourself a favour and do not book this place. It was dirty, towels were dirty, sheets were dirty. It’s meant to be ground floor but the only room on the ground floor was the bathroom. Everything else was in a basement. The pictures on the listing DO NOT reflect reality. The main bedroom looks decently sized in those pictures whilst the reality is far from that - it’s a box with a very narrow walkway on either side of the bed. This is supposed to be suitable for 4 people; our group was made up of 4 adults. However: - the worn out sofa only accommodated 2 people comfortably. Anything else was tight. - the second room where the bunk beds were, doesn’t accommodate 2 adults. Maybe two children. The “wardrobe” space was filled with random stuff. This room doesn’t have a window, just a glass pane which cannot be opened. - we only had one set of keys. The door to the flat (lack of a better word) doesn’t lock from outside without keys, so if people wanted to leave early, someone had to wake up to ensure the door was locked after exiting. - you must be very good friends with the people that you’re travelling with! The second bedroom offers no privacy!! The door is more a window than a door, all glass!! There aren’t any shelving units anywhere. Nowhere safe you can place your toiletries when using the basin, nowhere safe you can place your stuff in the room when getting changed… We followed the advice given and rang the property to communicate our disappointment regarding the dirtiness and requiring a second set of keys. The message on the phone explained that someone would call back but, alas, this never happened. There was a very important notice in the kitchen, framed to show how important it is for you to read it. However, even though the size of the notice was A5, the font was size 5! For something as important as “we may be taking some of the little privacy you have away from you”, this is a pretty bad way of communicating this.

Rustic appearance, shower was good, reasonably clean, good location for bars and shops in Kemptown. Looks better on the inside than the outside

There were 4 adults and only 2 clean towels provided. It was 6 p.m., so we emailed Host and Stay but had no response to our request for 2 more towels, and we had to buy our own! They responded the next morning, promising two more towels, but they never arrived even though we repeatedly requested them (rather than use our new ones) but we were there for 3 nights without receiving them The second day, we emptied the sink after washing up, and it leaked behind the oven and under the floor, so when you stood on the wooden floor, foul-smelling water bubbled up! We complained to Host and Stay, who said they would call back regarding a plumber, but instead they emailed us, which we didn't see, so it was only luck that our adult daughter was at the premises to let the plumber in. He fixed the leak but couldn't remedy the water under the floor. The simple task of providing towels over three days is very disappointing. Whilst the H&S staff were polite and apologetic, it felt very much like lip service. We submitted a complaint regarding the accommodation it's been nearly two weeks with no response. We would be reluctant to use Host and Stay properties in the future. They just seemed to offer empty promises and are rather disappointing.

Location was good.

The bathroom was upstairs, not near bedrooms. The flat didn't feel very clean & sofa was old & tired.

Location is perfect Clean and tidy Good communication with host

The property could do with providing a few more essentials like dish cloth and washing up liquid to help keep the property clean during our stay.

Absolutely beautifully furnished property! Good size and excellent location just near the pier in Brighton. Would recommend and I would stay again for sure.