Hotel Cardiff Executive Apartments (Newcastle, Australia)

The service can certainly be described as hands-off, but most guests staying at Cardiff Executive Suites seem to like the ease of check-in by phone, and not having to collect keys. You'll be sent the code to get into your apartment, and that's it - you're all set.

Guests love the space and cleanliness of these modern apartments, and particularly for families, the size works well. With one or two bedrooms, plus generous living space, you can relax and feel right at home, and everyone will have enough personal space.

The proximity to local amenities like shops and restaurants is a plus for many guests, and it makes life easy when you're self-catering. You can find most things you'll need within walking distance, and the transport links to Newcastle, by both road and rail, are good.

While guests generally describe the apartments as clean and comfortable, there do seem to be some maintenance issues, such as electronics amenities not working, erratic air conditioning, or garage doors which don't work properly. These vary from apartment to apartment, but overall, some attention to detail in terms of upkeep is probably needed.

It's all well and good having a garage in which to park your car, but it's pretty useless if your car won't fit. Numerous guests have found this problem, and there are few alternative parking options, so if you're driving anything larger than a tiny two-door, you may need to make other parking arrangements in advance.

There are charges imposed for WiFi use, and many guests say that it's overpriced. It's certainly something you'll have to factor into your overall budget, particularly if you plan to use the WiFi a lot, or you'll have to do without during your stay.