Host & Stay | Othala @ The Merchants Quarters — Guest Reviews

lovely new year again at othala in Scarborough worth every penny it's a shame I can't get to book it for 2026 new year I've been here a few times now and it's perfect for me and the family

Booked Host & Stay's Apartment for a weekend getaway for the family. The location was perfect as it was round the corner from the seafront, the Lifeboat Fish shop across the road was beautiful and the car parking was just across the road. With having 2 kids and a 5 week old baby this apartment was perfect for the space it provided and the ideal location. the rooms were clean, tidy and had a good layout. The shower was very spacious perfect for tall and wide people like myself. The added security of having a ring door bell with locking access was perfect for packing and unpacking or having takeaways delivered. The roof terrace was a nice place to sit and eat as well since it's outdoor but out the way of the crowds around the seafront. I would definitely recommend this place for couples or families!

superb place we was on the 2nd floor unfortunately the people upstairs was a bit noisy bouncing around yet maybe our children was the same to the people below us lovely place right in the middle of town perfect location just a shame the price has doubled otherwise we would be back next year

Very nice apartment Cleaners could have do a better job. We moved a bean bag and found loads of dust, tea towels were dirty and the freezer department in fridge was packed solid with ice. Very stylish place and right in the middle of everything. Only thing that let it down for us was the parking, was hard work getting all our stuff in with 2 kids and that we could only check in at 4! Not ideal when you have a baby that needs feeding and wants a nap! Paying £150 night I’d expect to be able to check in earlier then 4! We did ask for early check in but that wasn’t available. Over all we enjoyed our stay but these little things would of made it easier for us to

Poor communication but lovely area. Positive: The location is ideal. Negative: On arrival we noticed the electric hob wasn’t working in the kitchen. We called and arranged someone from the maintenance team to come out and have a look. They eventually arrived and confirmed it was broken and needed completely replacing. We were told we would be contacted in the morning and should be offered somewhere else to stay instead as we had no cooking facilities and had small children. No one contacted us. We had to contact them and they kept saying we will get back to you but never did. Nothing was done about this and we ended up spending a fortune on eating out every day. We had brought food to cook whilst there which also went to waste. The holiday ended two weeks ago and we’re still awaiting a response from them.

Positive: The location was excellent, 2 minutes from the beach. I liked the layout of the apartment, and the roof terrace was a nice bonus too. It provided myself and my 2 grandchildren plenty of space relax in. Negative: Mostly it was something that couldn't be controlled. The building opposite is a nesting place for seagulls, and I found out they are very active vocally at night time too! A lack of cutlery wasn't too much of an issue as I never intended to eat in anyway but could be a problem otherwise. I found out I shouldn't buy a Dyson cordless vacuum too, they are rubbish.

Lovely time had by all the family. Literally have the beach on ur doorstep.. The location is idyllic, looking out into the harbour. The only downside is that there is no parking on site as stated in the description. Local car parks are chargeable between the hrs of 9am & 6pm.

Excellent few days with our grandchild and the accommodation provided a great base. Positive: Modern, well equipped, good location. Negative: Limited car parking

Nice family break, in comfortable and clean apartment. Positive: I liked the location, it was clean and the beds were comfortable. the shower was spacious and the whole apartment was decorated well. Negative: the living room doesn’t have enough comfy seats for 4 people. the dining table isn’t big enough for 4 people and it only has 3 chairs. the radiator in the bedrooms do work but they don’t get very warm. the spot lighting in the living room is far too bright, it needs a lamp. Its a noisy road outside if it were triple glazed this would help. A rug in the living room might help with the echoing and make it cozy.

Apartment is very nice. Positives are: Well furnished, very clean, very modern, amazing shower, perfectly located for access to the sea front. Rooftop terrace is pretty cool. TV is very modern. Induction hob is also very good. Negatives are: Single beds are too narrow and too tall. Was worried about the kids in them. No dishwasher. No microwave. No cutlery. Seagulls nesting just next to the living room window and are quite noisy. Location means that it's fairly noisy outside and not very well sound insulated. Car park over the road is extremely convenient but only really suitable for small cars. All in all, a very nice play to stay, positives outweigh the negatives and would recommend!

The place and stay was perfect. Exactly as described and listed. Communication with host was a breeze, very responsive and informative. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back again in the future. Apartment was very comfortable and high end detail - Great weekend

Happy Times. 5 star apartment Positive: High quality apartment. Shower amazing. Very comfy. Negative: Had an issue with the fridge but was rectified same say. Upstairs flat had a noisy party. But overall no major issues.

absolutely brilliant, my first time using host and stay…………I will definitely be using the merchants quarters again Positive: absolutely brilliant flat, exceptionally clean, well laid out and a really nice up to date interior, no expense spared, hall way/staircase very clean, a well maintained and professional looking holiday flat Negative: cant fault the flat one single bit……………10/10 could have had a washing machine but there’s plenty of laundry places within walking distance

Fabulous apartment, great hosts Positive: Lovely apartment. Very smart and luxurious Negative: Lack of cutlery and window cleaners making so much noise at about 7.20 on the first morning!

Luxury accommodation, great location We had a lovely break. The apartment was in a perfect location, really near to everything. The apartment is decorated beautifully with modern touches throughout

Great modern place, excellent shower, good views of the harbour Too many stairs for my elderly parents. Needed a chair in the bedrooms Parking tricky,

Excellent value for money apartment near the sea front. Positive: Modern, uncluttered, comfortable clean beds. Negative: Nothing we didn’t like but waste recycling options would be good. The door lock to the apartment was very tricky to lock from the inside and wouldn’t fully lock.

2nd year at this apartment will be booking again for next year Positive: Clean tidy fantastic location and to a good standards Negative: Location and spacious .. love the roof top terrace

Perfect mini getaway Positive: Wonderful property. The location is amazing and it has everything you need inside. Negative: Nothing I didn’t like about the property apart from the floors could have done with a good old mop. We where there for an hour while we unpacked and when I looked at my daughters new white socks the bottoms where black,and I mean really filthy. Also there’s some yellow mould in the shower that needs sorting. Also you could do with a bread knife. We had a loaf and couldn’t cut it. These are only small things that could be easily sorted. It’s my 5th stay and I would definitely stay again

Merchant Quarters Positive: Clean, modern and comfortable Negative: Only one toilet roll and no kitchen cloth

Great location - fab host with great communication 👍

Negative: Lack of cleaning product

We stayed for a weekend trip to visit friends the location was perfect with sea views. The accommodation was just what we needed a short walk to the station and other amenities. Information provided by the host was in-depth and covered all bases

We had a wonderful stay. The place was comfortable and clean and was well appointed with everything we needed for our stay. The location was very convenient. We loved the rooftop terrace!! Would definitely stay again!!

Best Airbnb I’ve stayed in so far, hosts are really friendly and helpful. Easy to find and very close to the town. Lovely apartment layout with lots of amenities and the shower is amazing!! Would definitely stay here again

Lovely apartment somewhat let down by the above issues. Would stay again. Positive: Super apartment, very stylish and roomy. Great views of castle and harbour. There was tea, coffee and milk sachets in the kitchen. Good soundproofing and no noise from the two apartments above. Yes, seagulls from outside as they nest on opposite side but it is the seaside! Negative: Seemed very clean on initial entry but quickly showed dust, dust balls, marks (drips, smears) on laminate floors. Handwashing and shower gel in bathroom were virtually empty. The parking scratchcard was not there as promised Host was easily reached and seemed very helpful and requested photographs and a brief report. Also offered to pay car park fees. An investigation was promised but I have heard nothing as yet.

The accommodation was excellent, comfy and homely and modern. It was really close to the sea front and really handy to nip back to throughout the stay. The fish and chip shop across the road was excellent and would recommend. We had a slight issue with the lock box at check in, where we struggled to get it open, but managed eventually after a slight panic. The only downside to the whole trip was the noise. Seagulls were nesting all around and they made noise all throughout the night, especially from 4am onwards. We got some ear plugs for the next few nights which made all the difference, but would recommend anyone staying here goes armed with some earplugs. Overall a really lovely place to stay.

Scarborough summer getaway Evening drinks on the rooftop were amazing!

Watch out for seagulls Positive: No breakfast included Negative: Everything ok

Very enjoyable and comfortable Positive: The location and how comfortable the apartment was Negative: No complaints

Fabulous accommodation, right in the heart of the waterfront too. We loved the roof terrace for late evening calm and views. Spotless and attractive decor all round, we loved the shower especially. Highly recommend this great find. Ps, seagulls are part of the charm!

Positive: Flat was amazing and location was great i Negative: There was nothing i didn't like

This property was amazing the Host & Stay Group and Accommodation was great and well described would definitely recommend if your staying in Scarborough, UK

Great flat. In the centre of town. Can see the sea from the table. Nice beds and a super shower.

lovely apartment. Good location. screaming seagulls all night long although that is not the hosts fault

Fantastic accommodation and location, the rooftop terrace is a great touch and had an amazing view of Scarborough, would recommend and stay again! Cheers guys

Wonderful and relaxing Positive: Very modern and stylish we loved the layout. So clean and tidy. Negative: Couldn’t figure out the coffee machine lol

The accommodation was perfect, spotlessly clean and had everything we could need for a week by the sea. Great location to walk down to the beach and into town. Would highly recommend staying in this apartment if you’re visiting Scarborough.

Had a good weekend all in all just a shame about the noise Positive: finished to a very high standard, perfect location, good parking. the roof terrace was lovely, we was there for armed forces weekend so didn’t have to find a good spot to watch we just sat in the sun on the roof Negative: the noise, hundred, maybe thousands of seagulls outside making a racket all day and night, road noise, bin men emptying the bins every morning across the road. i recommended anyone staying to bring some ear plugs

What can I say about this property? absolutely beautiful apartment, with a stunning rooftop garden, in a great location!

Lovely place putty about the parking but didn’t effect us seagulls noise but expected lovely flat

Fantastic apartment, great quality everything, really lovely (fabulous bathroom) loved the roof top garden. Lovely sea views in the heart of the beach front. Only very minor negatives were the hidden costs, cleaning, parking and insurance. Although reasonable it would have helped knowing these up front.

Positive: The apartment and the facilities. The location is brilliant. Negative: The fridge was wet as the freezer was dripping. It was frozen solid, and the door would not close.

Scarborough stay September 2023 Positive: Nice, light and airy, good size rooms, great location, clean and tidy. Negative: Only 1 knife and fork in the cutlery drawer

Lovely week in a perfect location to enjoy the beach and town centre Positive: Location is excellent, nicely furnished. Great views Negative: Lack of mattress or pillow protectors on beds- would consider that basic hygiene for shared accommodation

A Grand Designed ruined by lack of thought in the provision of facilities. Positive: A Grand Designs apartment close to the Old Town promenade. Negative: Arrival information told us where to find the key but failed to explain that the key fob was electronic and opened the entrance door. The apartment, designed for four guests, was almost totally impractical. The only table was a round "cafe"piece barely large enough for one let alone four. Only three dining chairs were provided. Comfort seating was limited to a large two-seat sofa and a bean bag. There were no chairs in the bedrooms, nor was there any clothes storage other than a hanging rail with small shelves. Thus our stay necessitated living out or our cases for a week. The floor was covered with sand and no suitable brush was provided - thus sandy beds. The Dyson provided was good but is almost useless on wooden floors. The kitchen facilities were good but the essentials, washing-up liquid, kitchen roll and toilet paper etc the cheapest available. No surface cleaning liquids were provided. An expensive property which I would not recommend.

Superb modern and clean apartment, nice rooftop, location is great, everything is walkable. Nice Castle view. Beds are super comfy. Great shower!

Positive: The apartment is lovely in itself but the location makes it perfect and then add the roof terrace, we will be definitely coming back

Lovely apartment close to all amenities.

Fantastic modern apartment in the hub of Scarborough Positive: Very modern and tasteful Perfect location Rooftop area with great view Negative: Parking in Scarborough is a nightmare Took us a day to find the cutlery drawer

Positive: no washing machine

Lovely clean, bright, spacious apartment. A few things let it down and being so close to the front was definitely a prob Positive: Beautiful apartment, very spacious, bright and modern. Great position - close to the beach and other amenities. Negative: Street noise was awful. Cars / motor bikes flying up and down the main strip at silly o’clock in the morning. Few basic items were missing like dinner plates, oven gloves, kitchen bin was broken

The Flat itself should have been great. Nice furniture, good amenities, great location, but Host & Stay's horrific management ruined our holiday. Room was not cleaned when we arrived, the whole place needs a serious deep clean. Black Mold growth in the shower head, stains all over the walls and floors. Not to mention when we arrived there was a bag of dirty laundry in the middle of the hallway, stained sheets, and old toothpaste on the sink. Host & Stay did send someone from their cleaning team to fix the issue the day after check in and she was very helpful and nice. However the host& stay employees were not helpful. Even after sending photos they lied claiming the sheets were new and bathroom was cleaned. They also then threatened us that if we found somewhere else to stay until their cleaner could fix the issue the following day, it would "not go well for us" in getting a partial refund. WiFi also did not have password protection, and host & stay would not fix this for us.

Great stay in Scarborough Lovely modern apartment in great, bustling part of Scarborough, everything is literally on your doorstep. The place was modern and clean. It did miss some of the personal touches that can make a place feel welcoming on arrival however (including no batteries in the tv remote and no handsoap in the bathroom) but overall it was a really nice place to stay. There is also a hidden drawer in the kitchen with all the cutlery in which we were unaware of, which created an element of panic on the first night having made dinner! The lovely locals were able to advise us of the infamous hidden drawer though thankfully.

Very nice Really clean. Nice location. Would recommend

Great location and immaculate flat! Will be booking again.

Great location nice apartment Negative: I think the explanation of how to use the key fob for door entry could have been better, to alert us that the key is for the door to the apartment and fob is for front door entry it could be better explained. Was stood for at least 5 mins or more trying the key in the door until saw the fob area and sorted it out.

perfect Positive: Right at the harbour and centre for everything Negative: nothing

Great location near the habour and easy to get to all the attractions. Lovely and clean and communication with owner was immediate too when we couldn't find any cutlary. Would definately come and stay again

Fantastic well equipped apartment Positive: Great location, spotlessly clean,lovely comfy beds,everything you could possibly need.

Fab weekend away in a great location Positive: Location and layout Negative: Could have been cleaner

Amazing location, beautiful apartment. The roof top view is fab. Defo would go again, would recommend this place.

Fantastic apartment. Would recommend to others. The small 'negatives' can easily be rectified. Positive: Excellent, central location with a public car park opposite. Very modern decor and finishes. Good size lounge with views of the harbour. The roof terrace was a great feature. Fantastic bathroom and easy to use 'state of the art' shower. Negative: Despite the fact it had been cleaned the attention to detail was missing. Floors not 'hoovered' properly, glass surfaces not cleaned. A couple of desk/pedestal fans would of been appreciated.

Very enjoyable. Positive: Modern, clean and welcoming and a very convenient location. Negative: Cutlery had water marks where not dried properly and the freezer box in the fridge was full of ice and needed defrosting. These are by no means deal breakers, but make a difference between our score of 9 and getting a perfect 10. Will definitely book again for next year.

Nice to have a modern flat with views in a central location. Perfect for a short break to explore the area Positive: spacious, views, comfort, near to everything Negative: no lamps in the lounge, only ceiling lights which were too bright at night. A lamp would make all the difference. Parking very expensive at £9 per day. Would be good if a permit was included. Very noisy seagulls even at night. Definitely need earplugs

Unable to get access upon arrival as someone had deadlocked the door and it took an hour of waiting in the street with 2 children before someone arrived to allow us access. We were not offered any compensation for this. With 2 children under 3, we had to move the sofa to allow us our boys to play a little and obstruct the steps leading down to the kitchen. Once we moved the sofa, we could see absolutely loads of dirt, including beer bottle caps, sweets and general dirt which had been swept/left under the sofa. For the price we paid, we would have expected it to be spotless. Thankfully someone came the day after to re clean the floor but we were only staying for 2 nights and for one of them, it was unfortunately dirty. The shower leaked, so we had to use our towels to mop the water up in the floor. I fit bathrooms for a living and the bottom of the shower enclosures just were adequately sealed, it’d take 2/3 mins for the right person to do this properly. Again, just not what you expect when you’re paying £150+ per night and your children can’t walk in or around the bathroom because of water leaking out of the shower. The fridge door didn’t shut properly either, the door was poorly fitted meaning that you thought you’d closed it but unless you gave it an extra nudge, the freezer section started to defrost. Just really disappointed and no effort made to help, especially by the ladies on the phone, one of which was rude because I hadn’t given them longer than 20 minutes to call me back with a resolutions about access - neglecting to consider I’m stood by a main road, in 28°C heat, with 2 small children. Expected much better. Daniel, Zoe & Boys

Very well maintained apartment, great location especially for a busy weekend to step away from the crowds and chill on the top floor. Overall we had a great time and a great stay!! 😊👍🏽

Negative: Constant banging from the room above at late night

Positive: Location pretty central, very good apartment, very clean and modern 👌. Negative: Parking was opposite £9 per day/night.

Positive: Moderní a prostorný apartmán s výhledem na moře a společnou terasou na střeše. Negative: Ubytovatel chce ověření totožnosti online a pojištění odpovědnosti. Na Booking o tom před zaplacením není žádná informace.

Very nicely decorated, fabulous shower. Great location. Just could do with a bit more information about the place before booking. We booked based on the pictures and the nice roof terrace but weren’t told it was a no smoking outdoor area. Would have been nice to have a drink and not have to go down 4 floors to stand on the street. Also is it really necessary to have CCTC out there? Privacy? Overall it was ok but we wouldn’t stay again as it was quite expensive and didn’t meet our needs

Positive: Lovely space Attention to detail and finishings Extraordinary shower Nice simple decor Clean Roof terrace wonderful Lovely amenities Negative: Double bed quite small Lighting a bit harsh

Wir haben uns wohl gefühlt Positive: Die Lage ist gut, um alles zu Fuß zu erreichen

An Amazing Apartment Positive: Location was amazing, couldn't fault anything with the apartment. The living room was very cosy with a large TV and everybody loved the shower 😀 Negative: The cost when I have looked for July/August 🙈

The apartment is fab! Super clean, really good size for the two of us (and would've been good for two children too). Great sized bathroom and lounge. Really benefits from the roof terrace - a great place for breakfast in the sunshine, and drinks at the sun goes down. We found it easy to park in the car park opposite - free after six, and was generally pretty empty after this time when we visited in March - might be more tricky during the summer. Would definitely stay again if we were up in Scarborough.

Positive: Location was good, very spacious apartment, very modern property. Beds comfy, shower excellent. Good Tv with good choice of channels. Negative: No microwave, bedside light in second bedroom was broken (working but broken). We requested an early check in but was told this wasn’t available (turned up and tried at 2pm and key was available so got in) this was disappointing as had luggage we needed to drop off, feel host could’ve made more effort to accommodate this. Asked for cot and high chair and these were left in wrong apartment so I had to retrieve them myself. Again pretty poor service. Think the hosting via email lacks a personal touch. Found I was bombarded with emails and not enough attention to detail and service was given. Tried calling a few times and not sure what hours are worked but found it difficult to be able to speak to someone who could actually help. Not sure id use someone so “hands off” in future

Excellent

Great Location Positive: This old building has been renovated to a very high standard. It was super clean, very modern & in a great location. We usually stay at The Sands apartments on the north side but this will now be our new go to apartment for our Scarborough weekends away. Negative: No cafetière or filter coffee machine.

Unfortunately I cannot comment on or recommend the facilities provided as we did not check in. My partner tested positive for covid the day before we were due to arrive. The host would not provide any refund or allow us to change our dates. We lost the total cost of our stay.

Positive: Very modern and tastefully furnished to a high spec. Well equipped. Comfortable beds . Wonderful shower. Location perfect for busy family holiday Negative: Only suggestion is a lamp in lounge of apartment 1 for softer lighting ( already in situ in apartment 2). Unfortunately our key fob for apartment 1 failed for the external door.We did report it .Had we not also had keys for apartment 2 that could have been a real issue

Overall had a lovely time with stay , however there are a few things the apartment is missing probably due to it being new for example there was no cutlery in our apartment and very few cooking utensils so we were not able to make a proper meal during our stay. I believe the lounge would benefit from a lamp as there is only the very bright lights on an evening. Also the booking did not say weather the roof terrace was shared or private so we were unsure on arrival. Apart from this, we had a nice time, great location

Wonderful apartment in the most perfect location. It’s decorated beautifully and utilises the space very well. The shower is one of the best I’ve had! Feels so modern

Comfortable stay pity about stairs

Very pleasant stay, we will definitely be back again. Negative: Having a microwave would have been nice

Lovely stay Positive: Comfy beds, comfy sofa, lovely bathroom, shower was so good, had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. Even included mobile phone chargers! Lovely little kitchen. Lovely rooftop terrace area giving amazing views! Negative: Not really a negative but I would have liked there to be a lamp in the living room because unless you have the main lights on you sit in the dark (or light from the TV). Also front door doesn't close fully until you pull it closed which makes a bit of a bang, not a negative but just worry about the noise for other people in the building.

Great location literally across the road from the south beach. A few noisy seagulls but great modern accommodation

Lovely apartment with a great location and a fab roof terrace. Highly recommend the stay and also the town. Scarborough open air theatre is a gem.

Lovely apartment, really clean and fantastic location. Easy check in and good communication throughout.