Al Waleed Palace Hotel Apartments-Al Barsha

The property itself is in a prime location, and the owners at the time put a lot of heart and soul into the decor. It's an old house, and you're happy to make compromises if its charm touches your heart and you move in here. My first apartment was a hotbed of cockroaches. After 17 years in Dubai, I'd never seen anything like it. They were everywhere in droves. The curtains, the bed, the closet, the floor, around the bathtub, and the refrigerator were breeding grounds. After one night in that room, I became hysterical and only then was I given another room, larger and more expensive. There, I noticed the dirty and crumpled curtains, and the headboard of the bed was obviously a former cat scratching post and was completely ruined, down to the filling. Housekeeping tape was stuck over it, which released the adhesive when exposed to heat, and whenever I touched it at night, I had disgusting glue on my hands and in my hair. Even the pillowcase couldn't be washed out. When I extended my stay at the hotel, I was taken to the hotel's own website and booked my apartment from there. Later, I received my rental price directly from reception. Only after I pointed it out was the tourist tax waived because I knew it and was now a long-term guest. What you don't notice at first is that Raine & Horne charges DEWA, which I'm currently having verified through DTCM. Raine & Horne describes itself as a vacation rental and therefore offers as little service as possible. You don't get daily housekeeping or drinking water. You get two sets of bed linen and towels and have to wash, iron, and change them yourself. The DEWA total is completely wrong. However, it's hard to understand because They told me at the reception that they don't know where the meters are. DEWA itself wrote to me that they only provide the electricity and water, and the rest is the responsibility of the landlord. Housekeeping has a particularly close relationship with the tenants. I found myself in the embarrassing situation where one of the cleaning men entered my apartment without ringing the bell, while I was standing naked in the kitchen. The man stood rooted to the spot, staring at me, and didn't leave when I called for him to leave! Otherwise, he just does his job by the book, and I'd said several times that I'd be better off cleaning alone or getting my own cleaning man. Then comes the most frequently used phrase at reception: "This is non-negotiable from the owner." You can't cancel housekeeping. The gym is ancient, the equipment is broken, and only the bare essentials are available. No scales, no music, no service, no disinfectants. After I complained about the damaged bicycles, I was told that I wasn't pedaling properly and the bike is working. Likewise, there's no sauna, and the changing room isn't separated for men and women and is also used by the cleaning crew who live across the hall. The pool area has six loungers without umbrellas. Cleaning leaves much to be desired. The pool is two

I think my being here was a punishment from God… I remembered the disgust I felt towards the toilets in schools when I was young because everything was bad from the reception to the staff to the rooms and the cleanliness... This was the worst thing in my life ever...