The Ultimate Apartments are located close to Bondi Beach and in that sense they offer good value. However, while they offer budget level accommodation the furniture and fixtures in my view were very tired. The apartment I stayed in had a very lumpy bed and the lounge appeared stained and as a sofa bed it was substandard - very uncomfortable with a very thin mattress. The fact that a particle board plank had been added so that it could be used as a lounge gives you an idea of its well worn nature. The bathroom had dirt around the skirting boards and some tiles were cracked. Also no tea or coffee is provided and there is a single hotplate which was only to be used provided other appliances were not switched on. The apartment I stayed in, while it had air conditioning the air conditioner unit was very noisy.

So the pluses are the location and provided your expectations are not great (and I accept that I took the words ultimate too literally) then the apartments offer good proximity to the beach and to restaurants, etc.

We stayed here for 5 days over the new year, our apartment was very basic but it was a perfect base for what we wanted. It is advertised as being contemporary apartments and their website was misleading. I was expecting more e.g. the bed was old and very uncomfortable.

The location was perfect- Bondi beach only a five minute walk down the road, and Bondi junction shopping centre was only a bus ride away. it took us only 10-15 mins on the bus to get into the centre of Sydney with the bus being opposite the apartments.

The room was clean and the staff were friendly, there was also a laundry room in the basement. Staff were also really helpful and supplied extra pillows etc when requested.

They claim "Not a hotel but better, the Ultimate Apartments is perfect for any type of stay. A a contemporary Bondi Beach property, offering quality apartment accommodation."

What is actually true: converted motel rooms with the cheapest beds, linen, pillows etc that even charities would not accept. I'm not sure what they class as 'modern beds' but the bed in my room was the worst I had ever slept on - worse than sofa bed quality. The pillows were seriously an inch thick with no cushioning whatsoever.

There was no foxtel in my room as they claim and most appliances were damaged. The bathroom drains were covered in old dirt and waste, but apart from that it wasn't what I would call 'dirty'. Just old and not cleaned professionally.

I only stayed for one night thankfully, and next time I will shell out a few more bucks to actually get a good night's sleep. I paid $165 - which is a good rate for Sydney, but I expect better than one star motel quality for that price. A YMCA or hostel would be better. I recommend you pay a little more elsewhere and get value for your money.

On the plus side, the staff were friendly and they provided a much needed heater because the antiquated air conditioning didn't do much other than make noise and leak water.

I read less than complimentary reviews elsewhere and was a bit apprehensive about this place, but went for it anyway as we were on a budget and I wanted the ability to prepare my own food. It turned out to be fine. Sure, if you're expecting a luxury hotel, it isn't that. It's basically one room with comfortable bed(s) (we had a twin room), a sofa and table, a smallish TV, and a kitchen unit with utensils, cutlery and crockery. It has a kettle, a microwave and a single plug-in hob. It doesn't have a cooker, though, so you won't be fully self-catering. We made breakfast there, took sandwiches for lunch when I could be bothered to make them, and except for a couple of nights when I cooked meat pies and spuds, we ate dinner in restaurants. Those more adept/enthusiastic at cooking could do a lot more there, of course. We were there for 11 days.

Towels are changed once a week. Half way through the week I just added them to our laundry. There's a laundry room in the basement with washers and dryers. No powder or change (though if you're lucky someone will have left powder). Cleaning is also done once a week. This isn't a hotel.

It's 10 minutes from the beach, but we went in winter so our attention was on more cultural pursuits. Personally, I find the whole Bondi area pretty depressing, so apart from the first day when we walked to the beach and the second to last day when we did the Bondi-Clovelly walk (wonderful!!), we spent our time in the CIty. But that was convenient enough. The 389 bus stops right outside (both ways) and it's a half hour trip to Circular Quay. If you have to commute you'd probably get fed up with it, but on holiday it's part of the experience. You can buy daily or weekly prepaid tickets in the shop opposite the apartments (very friendly guy there! But avoid the Bondi Mini Supermarket up the road - the guy is as friendly as death).

I would go back there.