I chose the Rose Garden Appartments based on budget and location. Arriving late I e-mailed to confirm that I could check in close to midnight, I received a very nice reply saying that this would not be a problem. Check in was painless, I was informed that because there were no 1 bedroom appartments available I would be upgraded free of charge to a 2 bedroom appartment.

The appartment was large, very clean and everything worked (other than the washing machine) this was changed within 15 minutes of me reporting it as broken. The wi-fi was free and worked fine, I was given a user name and password which lasted for the duration of my stay. Towels and bedding were clean and changed everyday.

The metro is one 100m away from the hotel, from there everything you need in Dubai is within easy reach. The Emirates mall is one stop away, there is a huge Carrefour supermarket in there that stocks everything you could possibly need for your stay. If you are looking for somewhere to eat there are lots of small but decent restaurants etc nearby.

All in all I had a very enjoyable stay, it was good value for the money I paid to stay there..

We booked our room via Expedia for 2 adults and 1 child. In our booking we clearly specified that a room was required for 2 adults and 1 child, so an extra bed would be needed. Expedia charged us accordingly for 3 people. When we got to our room, it had only 1 double bed. We raised this with the reception staff, who were unbelievably rude and informed us that it's not their policy to provide an extra bed for children without charging extra. This, however, isn't made clear at the point of booking and Expedia happily accept the payment on behalf of the hotel. When we asked the guy at the reception to look at the original booking confirmation, which clearly specified that a bed is required for a child and the booking is for 3 people, he pretended they didn't see it in the booking confirmation but it was apparent from the looks he was exchanging with his colleague that this wasn't the case.

After several very expensive phone calls to Expedia, the issue was finally resolved by Expedia and we were given the bed we requested for our son. However that doesn't change the appalling customer experience we had from day one.

It is also worth mentioning that although this place has "hotel" in its name, you will not be able to check in to your room until 2 pm but the checkout must take place by 12 midday. You must bear this in mind when booking your flights and room. If you arrive at 7 am, for example, they will not let you check in to your room until 2 pm. That will be a long wait of 7 hours.

The worst thing about it all isn't even their policies but the attitude of the reception staff. The guy in glasses with a beard is particularly rude. He definitely acts like he is it and makes you feel like he is doing you a favour. Someone must tell him that it's the guests staying in that place that ultimately pay his wages. No guests, no job! He obviously doesn't realise that.

The cleaning staff and the guys supervising the rooftop swimming pool are lovely but the reception staff seriously needs to be changed. You will not get a hello from them. Instead, they act like it's normal for guests to initiate the greeting, which in most hotels and managed apartments isn't the case. And they never apologise for any inconvenience they may cause you!

The rooms supposedly come with free wi-fi. That's the biggest joke you will ever see. On arrival, you will be given an access code to access the free wi-fi. Your access will be cut off every half hour or so, which is a complete nightmare when you try to use it for anything that takes longer than that as you will have to log in again and again, which you may not realise straight away as the reception staff don't bother pointing it out.

The rooms are definitely not as good as they look in the picture. There are cockroaches (and they are large), so I wouldn't recommend keeping any open food around.

Tea and bathroom accessories such as shower gel and soap are provided when you first arrive but, for some reason, replenishment of these doesn't really work and, unless you ask, you will be stuck with what you were given on your first day.

Cleaning schedules are a bit inconsistent and you will never know when your room actually gets cleaned. You can only figure it out when you see cleaners in the hallways. One evening someone actually showed up at 10 pm to try and clean our room. Other times it was done in the mornings and sometimes it's done in the afternoons. I am sure there is a schedule but it's not really clear to guests.

Cleaning is generally ok. Could do with some dusting every now and then as, for some reason, they don't do it well.

The point worth mentioning is that although we didn't use the downstairs cafe that serves breakfast, we passed through it nearly every day and I'd like to say that we saw the same cupcakes and pastry on display for 2 weeks (unmoved and untouched but, undoubtedly, ready for sale if anyone asked!). I wouldn't bother eating there. If you go out to the nearby Mall of Emirates or anywhere outside, there are plenty of places to eat.

You should also be careful about booking this place if you are a very light sleeper and go to bed early. There is plenty of noise outside. For starters, the binmen come around 10-11pm and they don't care about the noise. Cars are also out and about till quite late at night.

If you want some peace and quiet, I wouldn't recommend this place as we have also experienced various kids running up and down the hallways as late as 2 am and as early as 4 am.

The best thing about this place is probably its location. The Mall of Emirates is really near and the metro station is just across the road. This makes it very convenient for going out and about at low cost. There are also plenty of taxis nearby and they all have meters, which makes things easy and straightforward.

Another point is that there are plenty of places to eat nearby, so if you didn't feel like venturing out far for your evening meal, you can always find something downstairs.

As this place isn't cheap, I would really recommend paying a little bit more if you can and staying somewhere else where you will be made feel more welcome!