Athena Guest House

The guest house near a bus stop.

The stair is uncomfortable.The Kitchen room very dirty.

We lived in second property next to the main building. Very shabby room, but shower was OK. There was some leakage in the roof perhaps and I coul not sleep because of the sound of water drops. The host friendly but lazy and unaccessible. He didn't say how to check out. I could not contact with him and put key on the table. Neighbor from the main building had complain about fire alarm for two hours at night and host did nothing. It seems to me that room was overpriced. I paid 55 pounds for room with shared shower

There was off street parking

The hot water and heating system was noisy and it went on all night. The cleanliness of the bathroom in particular was poor. There were hairs everywhere from the previous occupant. The shower was more like a trickle than a shower.

Below B&B standard.

There was onsite parking and easy access to buses and all the bars and restaurants on Cowley Road. The bed linen and towels were clean and fresh smelling. There was plenty of tea, coffee etc and toiletries (although all cheapest 'budget' brands). The lady who booked us in was friendly and helpful.

The door was not answered when I arrived. The outside of the building is awful - crumbling brickwork, ragged signs, a front door covered in black gaffer tape. I phoned a number. A male voice said he would send someone to answer the door and eventually a chinese lady did. She seemed surprised I had booked. I went into the messiest office I have ever seen. Laminate floor had huge gaps between the boards. There was a dirty carpet on the stairs and a filthy fishtank. When we returned at 8pm after being out the doorbell rang and someone came in shouting loudly and aggressively in Chinese. It was generally very noisy with loud voices, washing machines going all night directly below our room. The key to the front door did not work. A woman walked down the road and let herself in wearing a nightdress...It did not feel like a safe place. The room was shabby with mismatched furniture, plugs with extension leads trailing. Windows were missing latches and either didn't open or close. The shower head was filthy... For the price a Travelodge is a much, much better option.