Artiste | Villa in Douai, Hauts-de-France

Positive: Old windows and doors. The doors in some rooms do not close properly. There is a draft coming through the entrance door. On cold days, the house is cold. The bathrooms and toilets on the second and third floors are cramped. In the photos, the apartment looks new and renovated, but in reality it is an old house without renovation. I would definitely not choose this apartment again.

Negative: Old windows and doors. The doors in some rooms do not close properly. There is a draft coming through the entrance door. On cold days, the house is cold. The bathrooms and toilets on the second and third floors are cramped. In the photos, the apartment looks new and renovated, but in reality it is an old house without renovation. I would definitely not choose this apartment again.

Positive: The owner is great, very responsive and communication is very good. It was great having a lock box so we could be flexible on arrival time. Parking was easy and free, right outside. The house was warm, despite the cold weather outside. The kitchen had good facilities and on the whole, the house is pleasantly decorated.

Negative: The location on the edge of town is an advantage as it's walking distance to shops and cafes, but the road within a few feet is incredibly busy at all hours and with the single glazed windows, it did feel a bit like trying to sleep on a dual carriageway. I booked this because the great reviews led me to believe this would be accommodation of a high standard but unfortunately, we found the house to be quite tired and in need of some repairs and maintenance. For example, the sofa in the lounge is heavily stained, the curtains in the main bedroom don't span the window and the outside shutter is broken. There is no radiator in the second bedroom so it's heated by the pipes running through it, but as it's old and in need of bleeding, the pipes are noisy. It is not possible in either shower to hook the shower head up because the fixings are broken meaning that you have the hold the shower head in one hand to use it. The toilets are heavily stained with limescale. Cosmetically, it's a bit unloved. The laminate flooring joints have come apart, wardrobes don't shut properly. It's clearly well used, and generally tired requiring a bit of TLC, maintenance and investment to be honest.

Positive: Large apartment Good facilities

Negative: Very hot during the middle of Summer Shower did not work well and very small hot water tank, so ran out of hot water quickly