By the Joyous Stays - House with home comforts

Todo.

Nada.

Great location about a mile from everywhere

Downstairs toilet

Keys were at the property as so I could arrive when was convenient to me. The property was clean and tidy, the kitchen was well equipped, the house was clean, the bed linen was clean and smelt nice.

Before arrival I was sent lots of messages. They were poorly written, with lots of emojis, no gaps in paragraphs and one sentence running into the next. I arrived quite late and reading through the many messages and emails, I incorrectly thought the pin number that was sent through the emails was for the key box on the property door. The management company called me, as they could see me struggling on the door camera. The person on the phone was quite challenging that I hadn't read the messages properly, and that I should know to have contacted them on arrival. I was asked to provide my driving licence and show it to the door camera. Since there is parking restrictions in the road, I asked where the parking permit was. It was not clear where it was stored, I wasn't sure whether I should have printed before I left. Again the colleague was challenging on whether I had read all the messages and terms and conditions. I explained that it had not been clear. Once in the property I realised pictures can be deceiving. The beds are two singles pushed together, and although have mattress toppers, the springs feel like they have gone, as there is no support and has left me with back ache. The sofa seats two, and was very uncomfortable. Other guest have to sit on dining chairs or the floor. There are lots of rules, with little hand written notes to remind you of these rules. Flush the toilet, close the shower curtain, empty the bins. I appreciate they must have people leave towels on floors, however not everyone lives like this. I have written five other great reviews for the places and people I have visited in the two days I was in Stoke. It’s a shame this was not one of them. Since writing this review I have had numerous messages from the host even trying to blackmail me into removing my review. Booking.com have also moderated it and decided it has to be removed as it isn’t within their policy.

This is a good location for Stoke, close to the D-road (A500) and also to the main cultural centre in Hanley, and it's a barely 5 min walk to the train station. The house itself is spotless with very good facilities and a well appointed kitchen complete with tea coffee and welcome treats. The whole place feels welcoming with modern decor softened by nice cushions and wall art. It's spacious for the size of property and the owner is exceedingly helpful and willing to go the extra mile. There's even a fab Afghan restaurant down the road and an oatcake shop a few minutes away (you have to try an oatcake with bacon and cheese, but I'm biased I grew up here!). If you walk into Stoke (about 15 mins) The Glebe has a good pint and friendly welcome too. We stayed here the night before my father's remembrance service and it was a perfect place to relax before a big day. Parking is good too. We'd stay here again a heartbeat.

My only small niggle, and its a quantum at that, is I think there was a bit of air trapped in the water pipes as there was a bit of banging in them, but then again its impossible to predict or prevent this happening sometimes, and it really didn't detract from the otherwise excellent character of the house.

This little townhouse checked all the boxes and was fine for one night. We appreciated the biscuits left in the kitchen and Wi-Fi access.

The layout of the house and some details were odd. The only bathroom is in the far back of the house on ground floor while 2 bedrooms are up steep stairs. The light in the bathroom is behind the door. Decor is gray and stickers for "artwork". The access was more challenging than expected since they didn't provide the code until we were at the door and then required a phone call. They also had lots of house rules which were fine but a bit overwhelming.

Host was very helpful and polite, location was ideal, pictures matched reality.

Location was close to University Campus which was good. If you are looking to book a self-catering property with limited amenities, this will be great. However, we booked it for what was advertised as included in price, as we didn't want to bring everything we needed for a 3 day graduation stay. Unfortunately this was not the case!

Our recent stay was deeply unsatisfactory, primarily due to the severe misrepresentation of amenities and the host's consistently rude and unhelpful communication. A crucial element of our booking was the promise of a parking permit. This was not provided, and we were abruptly informed it wouldn't be available, forcing us into a highly stressful situation with our new car in an unfamiliar area with a poor reputation. The host's suggestion to park illegally on double yellow lines, followed by dismissive and rude remarks about our inability to find parking, was completely unacceptable and added significantly to our anxiety. We spent much of our stay worried about our vehicle, constantly searching for temporary, legal parking. The discrepancies extended to the internal facilities. Advertised items like a coffee machine, fresh fruit, and snacks were entirely absent, replaced by just a few packs of expired crisps. Moreover, only 1.5 rolls of toilet paper were provided for four adults over three days. When we brought these issues to the host's attention, the response was shockingly rude; they claimed these items were either paid extras or exclusively for families with children, directly contradicting the house's own welcome booklet which listed them as included. The "double beds" provided were actually 2 singles pushed together, with no mattress toper, causing high discomfort as the gap made it difficult to rest. Compounding these issues was the questionable cleanliness. We found unwashed cutlery from previous guests. Most disturbingly, upon arrival, there was a strong foul odor in the kitchen, leading us to discover an unflushed toilet with feces. The host's flat denial and unhelpful suggestion that we didn't know how to flush the toilet was insulting, given the pre-existing state of the bathroom.

Great host, nice property

Nothing