Hillside Gardens — Hotel in Lagos State

This place would not be operational if it wasn’t for the incredible staff who work here. I would like to give a shout out to Favour, Paul, Emmanuel, Francis, Emmanuel, Hakeem, Mr, Kofi, guards, and many others who are amazing people who are unfortunately employees of a employer (Sayeed), who doesn’t know how to run his business, or even have a clue of what goes on while he is always away. He makes false promises, doesn’t tend to patron’s needs, and never gets back to patrons when promising to do so. Meanwhile, he uses his daughter to be the contact through Air BNB (Nabeelah), who resides in London and not in Victoria Island, who you will never see and has no contact with patrons, other than to sell you a deal, falsify the condition of the place, and promise things that don’t happen.

I booked my first Air BNB, Victoria Island experience with Hillside Gardens through Nabeelah, with the hope that I would have a nice and comfortable almost month’s stay with my boyfriend, of which we received nothing of the sort. Let’s start out with the first night we arrived. I booked this place for a 27 nights stay two months in advance and when my boyfriend and I arrived, after a 28 hour flight, I learned that the front desk had given away my room to someone who “was stranded.” Later I learned that they lied to us (the owner Sayeed was there by chance that night knowing this) and told me that the air conditioning wasn’t working. My boyfriend, who resides in Nigeria even visited this establishment a few weeks prior to ensure our reservation, and that the place was habitable.

The problems at this place are so many that anyone who is looking for a decent stay may want to look elsewhere, as it is low budget, ill maintained, and the owner does not take care of it. He leaves his staff to make excuses and deal with the problems alone, even though it is not their fault (coward move).

HERE ARE THE ISSUES WE FACED: The water that is reserved for the toilet is diarrhea colored, the water that is reserved for the faucets and showers is also discolored and on most days treated so heavily with chlorine that your skin dries out and you feel dizzy from the inhalation. On top of this, they shut it off at anytime to work on it, without letting the patrons know. The electricity, although stated in the content of the Air BNB ad as stable, is not. Even though there is a generator for backup (which is common in Nigeria), the electricity will go out multiple times a day. The security that work at this establishment are the staff who work there, and not armed. If you want to print something or type something up, this is also not possible, even though it is stated that there is access to this amenity. The Wifi is also very spotty.

During our stay, my boyfriend and I used the laundry services twice. The first time, everything was fine, but the second time, the laundry man refused to do my laundry because I am a woman, and would not touch my underwear. After a long discussion with the general manager, he finally agreed to do it. Let me just put this out there….if you are working at an Air BNB and you have an issue with touching a woman’s garments, then you shouldn’t be working at an establishment that hosts internationals and women. When we received the laundry back, my boyfriend’s shirts were completely stained by an iron used, so he had to give them away. When confronted, the laundry man argued that he received them like that, but we had pictures to prove otherwise. After that, once again, during our stay, we had to be moved rooms again because the air conditioning stopped working. We were given another room that was less than comparable to what we had reserved, but were promised after one night, the problem would be rectified. After this incident, we were promised COMPENSATION IN THE FORM OF A “LATE CHECK OUT” and some wine. We tried to contact Sayeed (the owner) to have a face-to-face discussion about the issues we faced since the beginning, of which we scheduled, but he backed out. I have more to write, but am...

Having stayed in this lovely boutique hotel two years ago, I decided to book it again on my last trip to Lagos. It is nicely tucked into a quiet close, 10 minutes from most places I'd planned on going on the island. The service was top notch both times with efficient, friendly and helpful staff. ||||The facilities recently renovated, are very nicely done with beautiful furnishings and a blend of soothing colours; also with Cable TV and great wifi service, I could have been in a top apartment hotel anywhere in the western world with the nice sized apartments, fully stocked with all the "white goods". The beds and beddings were very clean and comfortable, The bathrooms; Spotless. My apartment was kept spotlessly tidy.||||The resident chef was phenomenal both times. The menu included local and continental dishes, all freshly cooked and well presented. I also had the flexibility of doing my own cooking a few times during my week long stay. The laundry service was extremely quick.||||It is altogether a lovely place to stay whether on a business trip or a personal holiday. I will definitely be back...

Having stayed in this lovely boutique hotel two years ago, I decided to book it again on my last trip to Lagos. It is nicely tucked into a quiet close, 10 minutes from most places I'd planned on going on the island. The service was top notch both times with efficient, friendly and helpful staff. ||||The facilities recently renovated, are very nicely done with beautiful furnishings and a blend of soothing colours; also with Cable TV and great wifi service, I could have been in a top apartment hotel anywhere in the western world with the nice sized apartments, fully stocked with all the "white goods". The beds and beddings were very clean and comfortable, The bathrooms; Spotless. My apartment was kept spotlessly tidy.||||The resident chef was phenomenal both times. The menu included local and continental dishes, all freshly cooked and well presented. I also had the flexibility of doing my own cooking a few times during my week long stay. The laundry service was extremely quick.||||It is altogether a lovely place to stay whether on a business trip or a personal holiday. I will definitely be back...