Deep Blue Apartments

Very disappointing excuse for corporate housing. My family and I requested a new corporate housing placement shortly after our arrival and we’re glad that we did. During our stay at 1 Durweston House, we stayed in Unit #2.
— All doors in building (interior, exterior and entryway) slam shut and do so very loudly. Most likely a poorly executed fire safety provision, however it ultimately leads to days and evenings peppered with constantly slamming doors throughout the building. I’ve developed a a low grade headache in the evenings that I believe can be attributed the ongoing door slamming throughout the evening. Very jarring sounds.
— No sound proofing of walls and windows. I can hear the neighbors in the unit next to us when they are entering/​exiting their unit, and when they are conversing amongst themselves. I can also hear their infant on each occasion that it is upset and crying. Having a child of my own, it is very irritating to manage the family noise within both our own unit, as well as that coming from the neighbors’ unit. Additionally, when the poorly-​insulated windows are closed, I can hear passersby chatting on the street, as well as the several cars that regularly pass through the alleyway next to the house.
— Bathroom is terrible. The bathroom toilet doesn’t flush unless the handle is pumped on multiple occasions. This isn’t an instance of needing to hold the handle down, it is rather a pure instance of having to waste time during each visit to the bathroom, while standing around and pumping the toilet handle, waiting for the toilet to flush. The shower walls are also disappointing, with several pockets of mildew that could easily have been cleaned properly prior to our arrival.
— Amenities. The kitchen is very poorly stocked for a 2BR apartment catering to multiple occupants. No cooking preparation bowls, no cereal/​soup bowl, the largest pot is a medium-​to-​small saucepan (inadequate for boiling pasta for even (2) people). The beds are set with only a fitted sheet and heavy (foam-​based?) duvet, but no top sheet. This arrangement is insufficient for warmer evenings when the house gets to be a bit warmer. At that point, the heavy duvet is either on or off, with no option for lighter bedding. We also requested a booster seat for our daughter so that she could sit with us at the kitchen table. Instead of delivering a booster seat for dining, the company delivered a booster seat for an automobile, which is inappropriate and unable to be secured to a chair.
— Mattresses. The mattresses are some of the worst mattresses that I’ve ever slept on. My husband and I are constantly tossing and turning during our sleep and we have awakened each morning to substantial back pain and discomfort
— Windows. The windows in all rooms except for 1 bedroom open only about 4-​inches for security purposes; this unit is on the ground level, so cooling the apartment down with fresh air is much easier said than done. Again, windows are very poorly insulated and do little to cut off audible street noises/​passersby. There is also an complete void of curtains in the home, and the blinds are thoroughly inadequate at blocking out morning/​daytime light. Napping/​sleeping during the day is far from ideal for adults and particularly children.
— Lighting. The lighting in the unit is abysmal. The main sitting room is rather dark to begin with, and there are only two tiny side table lamps, one large Ikea lantern-​like lamp, and two very harsh overhead lights that are so harsh that they are better turned off than on. Sufficiently lighting the room during the day with the lights provided is virtually impossible. It is also not so desirable to open the windows wide open, again, as this unit is on the first floor and within easy view of passersby on the street.
— Washer/​dryer. The washer is fine, but it is not a washer/​dryer unit. Since there is no dryer, clothes must be rack dried in the kitchen… requiring the very small space to begin with to be occupied by wet, hanging clothes.
— Summation. This place is totally inadequate for corporate housing for a family or any individual who plans to spend a bit of time relaxing or cooking in the space, or overcoming jet lag, for example. If one plans on spending virtually all of his or her time out of the flat, except for time spent sleeping overnight and showering, perhaps, then he or she might not care that this place is inadequate to support a true stay. Again, very disappointing stay and my family and I are moving out, only 4 days after we arrived. We would have departed sooner, however it took a day or two to coordinate our new housing arrangements and a bit of a wait for the new space to become available.