Birtley's Amethyst 2 bedroom Apt sleeps 6 Guest

Good
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : Supplies were adequate and with good quality.
  : Copies of photo identification and the age of all adults were required, as well as the postal code of the home address. I know these requirements are well written on the 'house rules' but they were put at the very bottom among altogether 20 long regulations. We admitted we were not careful enough to study all rules. We stopped at clause 18. These are very important and personal data to be collected, why can't the host put this on the top of the House Rules to mind the users? It's the first time in 20 years we were asked for personal documents and information in such detailed way in advance to get the accommodation in the UK. A deposit of 250 pounds was held by the host before check-in and we wouldn't get it back until 7 days after check-out, on the ground no damages made to the property were found. We are not sure if it's the usual practice, but just wish to mind others if they consider booking this property. Please read carefully with everything if you consider to go ahead.

Good
Traveller Type: Business Traveler

Poor
Traveller Type:
  : It was self catering. The bedrooms were good
  : Outside space front and back were poor condition pipes in the yard were leaking and lots of flies around, we could not open back door because of flies. There was a leak from the boiler in the kitchen, pots and pans were in poor condition. Settee in the dining room was dirty and could not be used so no comfortable place to sit. Rug in dining room was dirty. Poor electrics fuse board wires were exposed. Not good access to bathroom, as had to go through kitchen which is not hygienic or practical. Parking space was very difficult to access. Rubbish bins were dirty and full of flies.

Disappointing
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : It was close to our family
  : No atmosphere and living room only 2 seater sofa which was didty

Very Poor
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : They did provide shampoo.
  : This was such a shame, the web reviews said it was great. The long list of strict rules that were sent to us prior to our stay (about no shoes past a point near the front door, how we were to leave it so clean, no smoking, etc) made us think that we'd be staying a clean, tidy and lovely place. How wrong! The front of the flat had a grassed area which was massively overgrown and had a shopping basket in.As we entered the flat, a strong smell of cigarette smoke filled the entrance hall (just as a note, we are non-smokers), there was broken mirrors on the walls, one of the interior doors had a hole in, like a punch or kicked type hole. Los of small burnt patches on the carpet. The walls had some form of liquid splattered in numerous places in most rooms. The kitchen and the cupboards were filthy. Inside the oven was vile and I had to clean every cup, plate and glass before using them. The cutlery drawer was also in need of a full wash down. The pans were simply disgusting. Not a clue what they had been used for! When I switched the extractor fan on when cooking some pasta our tea, fat dropped onto the hob.There was a gap in the floor under the lino/laminate flooring between the kitchen and living room. We nearly lost footings a few times. There was only bedding on 2 double beds, the sofa bed had a nasty/grimy looking thin mattress on. There was a spare quit in a wardrobe but no sheets or duvet cover. There was 3 pillow cases though. So this meant our children needed to share, not really what was asked for.The heating was on, which when it's mid August and really quite warm we wanted to turn it off. But part of the rules that were sent to us said we were not allowed to touch the controls to be able to do this. We didn't want to call the hosts as again on the rules it said we'd be charged money for calling them. We were meant to stay for 2 nights, we only managed 1.

Wonderful
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : Place was lovely & clean & equipped with everything we needed.

Good
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children

Poor
Traveller Type: Family with Young Children
  : Location is great for visitors to Beamish.The apartment was clean.
  : The entire place is shabby. Front garden is overgrown, every wall is scuffed with old screw holes that need filling and damp stains. Coat hooks hanging loose from the wall. Claims to accommodate 6 people but there is only a single 2 seater sofabed in the living room which is incredibly uncomfortable. There is WiFi but we could not get it to work (I work with computer systems, so not just a case of not understanding how to use it) The TV works with a plug in aerial, which had a very poor signal. The lamp in the main bedroom didn't have a bulb in it. Chopping board in the kitchen was covered in mould.