i was headed to melbourne for work and needed somewhere to stay for a week. my needs were simple. i wanted a self-contained one bedroom apartment with secure off-street parking. abacus proved to be the perfect find for me. i haven't given them five points because to be fair, it's not a five points destination. and neither do they profess to be, so that's okay.

abacus is perfectly situated in south yarra - less than one hundred metres from toorak road, and just a couple of minutes walk up from the chapel st intersection. if you know that area of melbourne at all, it's beautiful on the eye. there's a few supermarkets nearby, and a plethora of restaurants and cafes to keep you from starving.

abacus itself is small and simple. the reception area is very small. there are three floors and no elevator. this is not the place to stay if you're high-maintenance or expect alot of service on the end of the phone line. the staff were all friendly. the overall design was simple but stylish enough to have an impact. i found the rooms at night to be very quiet, with no noise at all from the street - weekends included. perhaps i was lucky there.

the bed was comfortable, with a good choice of pillows. the bathroom was small but new and clean. the kitchen was well equipped with everything i needed - pots and pans to cook with; cutlery; plates, bowls, glasses and cups; a microwave, stove top and oven; fridge and freezer. it had a wall of windows for natural light an air conditioning if you wanted it. it ticked all the boxes.

on the net they liked to sell themselves by suggesting their lower pricing was an incentive towards encouraging repeat business. i like that ideology - it's personal. i liked abacus and i would definitely return again.