Our stay at this mediocre appartment was marred by additional charges landed on us on our departure day. No mention of these charges had been made earlier, and the unpleasant woman on the counter took money from our credit card without permission. Beware!!! Keep your sanity and stay elsewhere!!!!

What can one say - this place is in the perfect location, its not dirty but tired, the bed uncomfortable the sofa even worse. Just about everything you need good kitchen but not enough pots, good fridge - washing machine good but the dryer was budget and took about 3 hours to dry anything.

The only other thing that can be said about this place is that from about 11pm to about 8am EVERY NIGHT its a hive of activity for St. Kildas prostitutes - all night long the doors bang, The scuffle of High Heels on the concrete, the laughing, the moaning, all has a seedy note about it - on one night alone I counted these ladies of the night working out of 5 rooms - they ply their trade on the street directly in front of the property - and then drag back customers - i was worried about security as they put rocks in the door way to the main access as well - allowing anyone to wander in - i had the displeasure of discovering a male urinating in the main courtyard one night - a bit of a shock - more so when he didnt flinch as i walked through.

I dont know what the police do about this - obviously they condone it - but i for one will never stay there again - its just too seedy - so if you stay there be prepared to an active night life with the ladys of the street freequenting all through the night.

There is a significant drug problem in St Kilda as in all big cities - however freequently during my stay i found or stepped on used syringes in the drive way or walking paths - obviously from the night before - this would be a gem of a place if the Girls were moved out and a little more care and attention to gardens and security.

I am a resident of Sydney who had an unpleasant experience over the recent Christmas holiday with Barkly Apartments in St Kilda.

I booked and paid for a stay Dec 28, 2010, to Jan 1, 2011 and prepaid $875. When my partner and I arrived we were told we had to stay in an alternative room in the lower floor for the first night. It turned out to have a broken window (apt 5 I believe) and smelly carpet and was very dark. My partner wanted no part of it and insisted on leaving for another hotel.

The manager said he couldn't do anything about the monies since they had a cancellation policy but offered to refund the monies if another client could be found. I phoned the manager today (Jan 12, 2011) and he claimed no one was found. Therefore he couldn't refund any of the monies.

Very unpleasant experience.

We've stayed in Melbourne a few times and this time we needed somewhere that was close to where we needed to be for a few days and was somewhere we could cook if we needed. We weren't sure what it might be like so close to Ackland Street in terms of noise, but it was fine. The Quest is a set of self contained apartments with a small front reception. It's showing its age a bit but having said that it was clean and comfortable. The apartment had a separate bedroom, living room and kitchen. Being June, Melbourne can be cold, but the heat pump was great for keeping warm. Reception staff were helpful and friendly. The location is very convenient. Immediately opposite is a Coles supermarket and through from there is Ackland St. with its myriad of restaurants, bars and cafes. There are two tram lines within 3 mins walking as well as bus services. It suited us and when returning to Melbourne and need something in the area again, would use the Barkly. The manager mentioned they are negotiating with the apartment owners to have them refurbished sometime soon which will make them more attractive. One thing to note is that getting to St Kilda is not the easiest from the airport. We needed a taxi and the cost one way was around AU $60. If you don't mind lugging suitcases on public transport take the Skybus to the city and then a no. 16 tram from Swanston St to the Ackland Street terminus.