Thistle Apartments - Apartment Rose

Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids: 9 and 12 years old) stayed here for a week in June. We arrived very late (almost midnight!) by train. But the owner met us as agreed- he was just across the street - the only taxi waiting at the time so he was easy to find. He drove the very short ride to the apartment- which we were very grateful for since our kids were exhausted and we were a little worried about safety.

The apartment was in a cute little building- there was a tiny elevator that just barely fit the 4 of us and our luggage. But it was sufficient and was never out of service.

The beds are surprising comfortable (I am super picky because we have a great mattress at home).

Washer/Dryer: I just could NOT get the hang of the combined washer/dryer. Wash was OK, but dryer took FOREVER, and then the clothes never dried. I ended up hanging dry my stuff. It could be that this kind of unit is just not common in the US and I had no idea how to work it?

Kitchen: We used it to cook a few times. Everything we needed was there and it all worked.

Bathroom: Everything is electric in the apartment, including whatever heats the water for the shower, sink, etc. He explained to us how to use it, but it was very late when we arrived, and we never really got the hang of it. One of us would get a hot shower, the second- mostly hot, but it would start to turn coldish, but then the third or fourth person would have to take a quick, cold showers. I guess if you have 4 people in the room - you could remedy the problem by 2 showering at night, 2 in the morning.

Parking: We hired a car, so we found out that other than metered parking, there is garage across the street from the train station - not sure on the price- I think it's 30 pounds a day, but thank goodness we never needed it. Street parking is free before 8am (?) after 8pm (?) and I believe all day Sunday. We were out exploring during most of those hours. On days we slept in, hubby ran down and paid the meter the extra hour or two that we needed. And, when we got in earlier than 8pm at night, he also just paid the meter enough money to get us to 8pm. All week, we paid no more than 20 pounds, which was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than paying for the garage for the week.

When all is said and done, we were very happy with the rental and would definitely stay here again. We slept well, and the place was VERY clean and in a safe neighborhood. What more can you ask for?