Where do you live - Reviews! (All Accommodation Qs go here!)

TheTownie

Liam.Carroll00 wrote: »

Is that 3792 and 3500 inclusive of electricity/refuse etc? How much is Troy and would that be inclusive also? And could you maybe give some pros and cons of each? eg distance, size, security, craic.... thanks for your help.

Yes those prices are the total charge but there is always a deposit (sometimes called a security deposit) on top of the total charges which will be refunded subject to inspection of the apartment at the end of the year. That Groody price is actually €3550 I think and thats 3 bedroom non-ensuite. Note: Made a mistake on the Brookfield Hall total Price. It is NOT €3792. They charge for refuse and electricity PER SEMESTER as oppose to a once off cost at the start of the year so that pushes the total to over €4k. Its not very clear online so you would have to ring them to confirm the total overall cost for the year.

Distance (1st = Furthest): Brookfield Hall, Courtyard Student Village, Groody / Troy.
Note: All these four places are located on roughly a 500 yard stretch of road (Except Coutyard, off the main road inside the estate.) So the distance difference between them is not colossal.

Size(1st = Biggest): Brookfield Hall, Groody / Troy, Courtyard.

Security(1st = Best): Groody / Troy, Brookfield Hall, Courtyard.

Craic: See good security can stop the craic but no security can mean the craic gets out of control! So you ideally want something in between. I was in Courtyard last year and parties always got out of control and while there are cameras in Courtyard, there are no gates and no security personnel so anything can happen really. In Groody there are big gates and a security guy that will come in around 11 if your making at lot of noise and ask ye to finish up, which is grand because you would be heading to town at that time anyway. Might get a slap on the wrist from reception as well but they just don't want you wrecking the place. The on campus security in Kilmurry are way worse than that though throwing everyone out at 10-10.30pm, dead strict! I hate them so much but yet everyone says thats where the craic is and plassey is the same. So moral of the story is the craic is as good as you make it!

Troy Student Village (sometimes call themselves Groody Student Village) is different to Groody Student Park (currently revamping their website and calling it www.groodyvillage.com) but they are literally right beside each other. It can all get very confusing from the outside looking in. Troy were taken over by an administrator last year so pricing could change this year. Best thing to do is contact them in a few months when bookings for next year starts to be taken.

If I were you I'd contact Groody for pricing as I can't remember exactly the en-suite price and the breakdown of it.

Note: Deposit amount differ between accommodations. Some charge for refuse separately, some include it in the weekly rate. Electricity can vary too. Beware of when you are told €X per week as the amount of weeks can vary between 37 and 40 weeks so ask them when you get the price how many weeks you are billed for.

Click this for Brookfield Hall Rates

Click this for On Campus Rates

cson

TheTownie wrote: »

Please do elaborate on that... The rooms in Groody are spacious, have a double bed and when the door is closed, blocks out an awful lot of noise. What else is there??

Also, I think the kitchen/living room in Cappavilla is ****e compared to Groody.

Ok; well I lived in Groody for Semester 1 last year and I wouldn't recommend it against Cappavilla if price isn't too much of an issue. Why?

Well;

(i) My room was tiny; I lived in a 6 bed and was the first room on the right as you went in - i.e. the smallest room. You don't have a full size double, it's a Queen size in those rooms. Granted the rooms upstairs are a bit bigger, in particular one of the rooms is massive compared to the others. Cappavilla is much bigger in terms of Bed and actual room size.

(ii) Showers. You simply cannot compare them. Cappavilla have the best showers I've ever came across. Always hot, always powerful. In Groody the bottom two rooms have electric showers which are weak as ****e and can take ages to heat up. The upstairs rooms have slightly better showers but if you're not up early you could well find zero hot water for them.

(iii) Storage; Again the two are miles apart. Groody gives you one inadequate press and a piss poor study desk. In Cappavilla where I'm typing now I have a 5 foot by 2 foot desk. A 5 foot by 1 foot shelf above it. Storage under my bed in addition to another 9 shelfs and open wardrobe with two rails in it. Groody really is **** in comparison.

(iii) Internet; Cappavilla extremely fast, Groody was slow and intermittant - we went a few days without internet last year. Can't be having that tbh.

(iv) Table: Bear in mind if you live in the 3 bed you don't get a kitchen table in Groody.

(v) The noise. My room fronted onto the car par and the twin annoyance of having the streetlight right outside my window shining in and the ****ing noise of the place made it hard to sleep at times. From Mon-Thurs Week 1-10 the place was crazy in terms of noise and people going out.

(vi) The stairs. They're incredibly dangerous the stairs in Groody up the 6 beds. I'm amazed someone hasn't seriously reefed themselves on the stairs, it's an accident waiting to happen.

(vii) The freeze; waaaaay too small for 6 people. We have a separate dedicated freezer in Cappavilla - loads of room. The fridge is pretty tight too in Groody if memory serves me correctly.

(viii) The walk into UL. Personal preference here but it's about 15-20mins and I hated it. I could be at the Library in 10mins if I left Cappavilla now.

There are some good points about Groody; the closeness to the Offie and Four Seasons being the main ones. The couches are really comfy too tbf and there is decent storage in the place. The deposit is far too much imo. Overall I think the place is fine for the money and what it provides but its a ****hole compared to Cappa.

TheTownie

cson wrote: »

Ok; well I lived in Groody for Semester 1 last year and I wouldn't recommend it against Cappavilla if price isn't too much of an issue. Why?

Well;

(i) My room was tiny; I lived in a 6 bed and was the first room on the right as you went in - i.e. the smallest room. You don't have a full size double, it's a Queen size in those rooms. Granted the rooms upstairs are a bit bigger, in particular one of the rooms is massive compared to the others. Cappavilla is much bigger in terms of Bed and actual room size.

(ii) Showers. You simply cannot compare them. Cappavilla have the best showers I've ever came across. Always hot, always powerful. In Groody the bottom two rooms have electric showers which are weak as ****e and can take ages to heat up. The upstairs rooms have slightly better showers but if you're not up early you could well find zero hot water for them.

(iii) Storage; Again the two are miles apart. Groody gives you one inadequate press and a piss poor study desk. In Cappavilla where I'm typing now I have a 5 foot by 2 foot desk. A 5 foot by 1 foot shelf above it. Storage under my bed in addition to another 9 shelfs and open wardrobe with two rails in it. Groody really is **** in comparison.

(iii) Internet; Cappavilla extremely fast, Groody was slow and intermittant - we went a few days without internet last year. Can't be having that tbh.

(iv) Table: Bear in mind if you live in the 3 bed you don't get a kitchen table in Groody.

(v) The noise. My room fronted onto the car par and the twin annoyance of having the streetlight right outside my window shining in and the ****ing noise of the place made it hard to sleep at times. From Mon-Thurs Week 1-10 the place was crazy in terms of noise and people going out.

(vi) The stairs. They're incredibly dangerous the stairs in Groody up the 6 beds. I'm amazed someone hasn't seriously reefed themselves on the stairs, it's an accident waiting to happen.

(vii) The freeze; waaaaay too small for 6 people. We have a separate dedicated freezer in Cappavilla - loads of room. The fridge is pretty tight too in Groody if memory serves me correctly.

(viii) The walk into UL. Personal preference here but it's about 15-20mins and I hated it. I could be at the Library in 10mins if I left Cappavilla now.

There are some good points about Groody; the closeness to the Offie and Four Seasons being the main ones. The couches are really comfy too tbf and there is decent storage in the place. The deposit is far too much imo. Overall I think the place is fine for the money and what it provides but its a ****hole compared to Cappa.

Sounds like you were given the worse possible room in the worst possible spot.

I'm in 3-bedroom. No kitchen table but we have like a bar table(3 high stools for the table connected to the wall in front of the window) which is nice place to eat and you have a coffee table if you wanna eat on the couch. No need for a dining table when theirs only three really.

Internet has never failed on me. It's plenty fast for browsing, torrent downloads running at 100kbps which is acceptable I think.

Wardrobe from the floor to sealing, wouldn't need any more than that for my clothes.

Having lived in the box room in Courtyard, my room in Groody is about twice the size. So can't complain there.

I have gone for showers at many different times during the day and always had hot water. Heating settings will dictate that issue.

I have the luxury of having my own mini-fridge in my room so that helps with the fridge issue (in fact the only bottleneck in the fridge is the freezer section).

I think a lot depends on who your living with too. I have two sound housemates, we all clean up after ourselves and cook at different times and all that stuff so we have no troubles whatsoever.

Obviously 6-bedroom is different kettle of fish and there could be a difference in room sizes and that with the 6-bedroom apartments.

I think the 3-bedroom for about €3550 is good value but maybe the 6-bedroom, while en-suite, is just under the €4K and probably less of a bargain.

For those who can't afford Cappavilla it's still a good alternative.

garv123

my room is grand and spacious. big bed.
no problem with hot water. set the heating to come on half hour before you get up and you have a hot room and hot water.
big kitchen that noone ever eats at. big coffee table that everyone eats at.
as regards parties we never got given out to about noise or too many people.
one night the security guard let us all in after trooms. he's sound out.

what i will say is the freezer is a big problem if there's 6 living there. you cant bring up food then.

another thing is when you are booking in groody alot of the blocks are privately owned and ringing the reception wont always get you somewhere. when our land lord was showing us around last year he said each block (1 6 bed & 1 3 bed) was owned privately and that reception were useless. they even closed last year on the sunday before college when aload of people were there looking for their keys.

oh and the carparking is free too. i dont know must you pay for it in the other places but i know in cork you do so i presume alot of places in limerick are the same.

TheTownie

garv123 wrote: »

my room is grand and spacious. big bed.
no problem with hot water. set the heating to come on half hour before you get up and you have a hot room and hot water.
big kitchen that noone ever eats at. big coffee table that everyone eats at.
as regards parties we never got given out to about noise or too many people.
one night the security guard let us all in after trooms. he's sound out.

what i will say is the freezer is a big problem if there's 6 living there. you cant bring up food then.

another thing is when you are booking in groody alot of the blocks are privately owned and ringing the reception wont always get you somewhere. when our land lord was showing us around last year he said each block (1 6 bed & 1 3 bed) was owned privately and that reception were useless. they even closed last year on the sunday before college when aload of people were there looking for their keys.

oh and the carparking is free too. i dont know must you pay for it in the other places but i know in cork you do so i presume alot of places in limerick are the same.

So your in a privately owned flat??

cson

Parking is/was only charged for in Troy afaik.

It's free everywhere else.

As for the ownership of Groody; afaik its one of these tax concession developments for student residences [one of the reasons you must provide a copy of your ID card]. The blocks are indeed owned by different investors of which JP McManus' brother holds the largest amount of blocks in Groody as far as I'm aware. Some of the blocks/apartments are owned by regular people who invested in it it as a means of a retirement income. That's why you find some blocks are better kept than others. Its all managed by a property management company who charge the different investors a yearly rate for maintenance etc.

Overall at 4k vs 4.5k for a 6 bed in Cappa, there's no contest; would I pay €55 extra a month for Cappavilla? Absolutely. As I've said they're miles apart in terms of quality and comfort imo.

TheTownie

cson wrote: »

Parking is/was only charged for in Troy afaik.

It's free everywhere else.

As for the ownership of Groody; afaik its one of these tax concession developments for student residences [one of the reasons you must provide a copy of your ID card]. The blocks are indeed owned by different investors of which JP McManus' brother holds the largest amount of blocks in Groody as far as I'm aware. Some of the blocks/apartments are owned by regular people who invested in it it as a means of a retirement income. That's why you find some blocks are better kept than others. Its all managed by a property management company who charge the different investors a yearly rate for maintenance etc.

Overall at 4k vs 4.5k for a 6 bed in Cappa, there's no contest; would I pay €55 extra a month for Cappavilla? Absolutely. As I've said they're miles apart in terms of quality and comfort imo.

Well cappa pretty much just has bigger stuff.

Prior to cson's post,

No one complains about not having enough space for clothes in Groody so why pay for more?

No one complains about not having enough space on their study desk so why pay for more?

No one complains about not having enough space in their bedroom so why pay for more?

Fridge/Freezer? genuine issue but not a deal breaker!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is how Groody retains heat like a sauna! Which is a positive that can't be left unmentioned. I have a mate living in Courtyard who says the place is freezing and anyone living in Elm Park or College Court will vouch for how cold those places can get. I'm sure Cappa apartments are nice and warm too!

A lot of those reasons for Cappa being better are luxuries rather than necessities...

I can't understand how anyone could walk into a Groody apartment and say "Nah, this isn't big enough!". The only reason a person would feel that way is if they are used to living in luxury.

cson

Its all down to personal preference at the end of the day and if you can afford Cappavilla I say go for it. I didn't have a great experience in Groody so I can't recommend it. My living arrangements throughout College have been;

1st Year = Kilmurry - Ideal for Firsties and great craic

2nd Year = Cappavilla - Best Accommodation available anywhere in UL, off or on Campus imo.

3rd Year = Groody - Poor in comparison to the above

4th Year = Cappavilla -As above.

That's been my experience.

TheTownie

cson wrote: »

Its all down to personal preference at the end of the day and if you can afford Cappavilla I say go for it. I didn't have a great experience in Groody so I can't recommend it. My living arrangements throughout College have been;

1st Year = Kilmurry - Ideal for Firsties and great craic

2nd Year = Cappavilla - Best Accommodation available anywhere in UL, off or on Campus imo.

3rd Year = Groody - Poor in comparison to the above

4th Year = Cappavilla -As above.

That's been my experience.

Thats fair enough.

I always look for value for money so much so that I don't think €400 for en-suite is justified so that tells you how I view things. I just feel Groody is a good alternative. I don't see the point in giving it a bad review compared to Cappa when its less money and is built to a more than acceptable standard. I'm sure someday there will be a place that makes Cappa look inferior but that doesn't mean Cappa would be a bad choice of accommodation in that scenario.

Like everything these days its a trade off, quality vs. price.

Bottom line, as cson said, if you've got the dosh go with Cappa, if not don't worry there are good cheaper alternatives.

Grindylow

Including all the fees and stuff aren't Cappavilla/Thomond/Dromroe like €1000 dearer than Plassey/Kilmurrey? It seems an awful lot for just an ensuite.

TheTownie

Noel2k9 wrote: »

Including all the fees and stuff aren't Cappavilla/Thomond/Dromroe like €1000 dearer than Plassey/Kilmurrey? It seems an awful lot for just an ensuite.

LMFAO, don't let cson see that. After he spent god's know how long explaining why Cappa is worth the money. I think you should read the last 10 posts and apply the same reasoning given for Cappa to Drumroe and Thomond as well. On top of everything that has been said, location can also play a part in the pricing.

Grindylow

TheTownie wrote: »

LMFAO, don't let cson see that. After he spent god's know how long explaining why Cappa is worth the money. I think you should read the last 10 posts and apply the same reasoning given for Cappa to Drumroe and Thomond as well. On top of everything that has been said, location can also play a part in the pricing.

Yeah but sure Thomond is wicked far away from the campus compared to Plassey/Kilmurry and they're still like €1000 cheaper... I'm pretty sure a shower doesn't even cost €1000 tbf!

cson

If you're heading to UL next year don't hesitate to go for Plassey or Kilmurry. I'd personally favour the latter. They're perfect for First Years.

Grindylow

cson wrote: »

If you're heading to UL next year don't hesitate to go for Plassey or Kilmurry. I'd personally favour the latter. They're perfect for First Years.

Yeah I'm thinking Kilmurry! Which is nicer because they're both around the same price anyway?

garv123

Noel2k9 wrote: »

Yeah I'm thinking Kilmurry! Which is nicer because they're both around the same price anyway?

never lived there but id go for killmurry for the crack and your that bit closer to the college and arena.
plassey does have horrible couches too. there like them restaurant couches that are really hard

cson

Kilmurry is nicer but Plassey has been refurbed in the last couple of years so I'm not too sure what it's like now. There are only singles in Plassey though whereas in Kilmurry there are 4 Doubles in an 8 Bed so 50% of getting a double. Kilmurry is close to UL Arena and probably closer to the general campus [10min walk]. Both would be equidistant from the Library but Plassey would be closer to the Kemmy Business School.

Liam.Carroll00

Ok, think we're going to go for groody student park/groody village, but could anyone tell me are there any benefits of a 3 bed over a 6 bed or vice-versa? Apart from the 6 bed having ensuites of course. Is the 6 bed a 3 storey town house or what? And is the 3 bed on one floor or two? Any description of the layout would help.

Gael23

Noel2k9 wrote: »

Including all the fees and stuff aren't Cappavilla/Thomond/Dromroe like €1000 dearer than Plassey/Kilmurrey? It seems an awful lot for just an ensuite.

Its not just an Ensuite , the apartments are in overall better condition. Anyway I cant imagine what it must be like trying to keep 2 bathrooms clean in a house with 6/8 people.

cson wrote: »

If you're heading to UL next year don't hesitate to go for Plassey or Kilmurry. I'd personally favour the latter. They're perfect for First Years.

.
I wouldnt reccommend Plassey. Some of the houses have been done up but if your not lucky enough to get one of those you'll end up in a dump for the year. As well as that, some of the parties there get fairly lively.

Im in dromroe and the fridge is a problem, we were lucky that one of our housemates brought another fridge

garv123

Liam.Carroll00 wrote: »

Ok, think we're going to go for groody student park/groody village, but could anyone tell me are there any benefits of a 3 bed over a 6 bed or vice-versa? Apart from the 6 bed having ensuites of course. Is the 6 bed a 3 storey town house or what? And is the 3 bed on one floor or two? Any description of the layout would help.

for groody student park its basically theres a block with 3 bed on the ground floor and then the 6bed take up the first and second floor. with kitchen/living area on the first and 2 bedrooms, and the other floor on the top floor. theres a stairs on each block linked to the next blocks upstairs too.
well the 3 bed will mean you have more room in the fridge and freezer.
but if you want to make more friends the 6 bed might be the better option

Yvi

I am coming back to UL for semester 2 from co-op and am looking at either Brookfield or Troy for a place to put the head down. I have heard that both places are fairly ok. I know that Troy was taking over by a new management company last September and I'm just wondering whats it like there now? Many living there, standard of rooms etc. All help appreciated!

highlydebased

Second half of Plassey being renovated next summer.

galwayu

I am afirst year student living in plassey and I would recommend it to anyone.I am in an 8 person house and its brillant.Plassey is unreal craic but also you can get your work done no problem.I know first year physios and nurses(supposebly hardest courses) and they have no problem getting work done and having the craic.The bathrooms arent really and issue as its 4 people per bathroom which is no problem.Again I would say Plassey for anyone coming to UL next year.

Zeouterlimits

Simple question:
Can one connect to Xbox Live in Brookfield Hall?
I was able to do it in Cappavilla via MAC spoofing.

CiaranMT

Looking for info about the above as possible accom for next semester. Freind of mine who's lived in Cedars recommends it highly - same price as Oaklawns for a much nicer place.

How long does it take to walk to UL from there?

Is bband available generally?

Anything else ye can add to that would be much appreciated!

Testament1

Yvi wrote: »

I am coming back to UL for semester 2 from co-op and am looking at either Brookfield or Troy for a place to put the head down. I have heard that both places are fairly ok. I know that Troy was taking over by a new management company last September and I'm just wondering whats it like there now? Many living there, standard of rooms etc. All help appreciated!

Im living in Troy at the moment and its an alright spot. Theres not too many living here. Rooms are pretty good for the price but having said that we did have to move out of our original apartment when the kitchen ceiling started to leak. Brookfield is an alright spot too. Lived there for a semester in 3rd year.

pkeane

Yvi wrote: »

I am coming back to UL for semester 2 from co-op and am looking at either Brookfield or Troy for a place to put the head down. I have heard that both places are fairly ok. I know that Troy was taking over by a new management company last September and I'm just wondering whats it like there now? Many living there, standard of rooms etc. All help appreciated!

Brookfield is quiet and generally quite a good place to put the head down and study.. although the only thing about it is it is about a half an hours walk from college. there is a bus though that brings students to the college and back every 15-20 mins.

yesno1234

How early should you go about getting off campus accomodation? Preferably would like to live in College Court next year.

MiamiMortimer

Noel2k9 wrote: »

Yeah but sure Thomond is wicked far away from the campus compared to Plassey/Kilmurry and they're still like €1000 cheaper... I'm pretty sure a shower doesn't even cost €1000 tbf!

Thomond's far closer than it seems to campus...you'd walk to the Foundation Building and library in ten mins, it honestly isn't far! Plassey's a long walk away as it's outside the gates, and Kilmurry's a fair walk as well, I'm truly surprised you think Thomond is further from campus than those are

I'm in Thomond and I really like it. It's a bummer it hasn't a village shop but it isn't a big deal as Drumroe's just over the bridge.

Security are both a blessing and a curse - it's great not to have to be worried if you're walking home alone after dark (and you really aren't, there's a really safe vibe and I'm fussy about things like that), but then again they are pretty strict on parties (though we managed to host a mad one that didn't get detected - how, I just don't know!)

Like what I've heard about Cappa, the showers in Thomond are great! They're power showers, really hot. The beds are the comfiest ever - I couldn't believe it when I moved in. They're queen size.

The kitchen is basic enough, the couches are made of plastic and are basically made to be uncomfortable to sleep in. It seems a kind of uninvited guest deterrant. Again, a blessing and a curse because they do wipe clean after a party and all it's associated drink spillages (!!!)

KealanOCarroll

yesno1234 wrote: »

How early should you go about getting off campus accomodation? Preferably would like to live in College Court next year.

+1

garv123

MiamiMortimer wrote: »

Thomond's far closer than it seems to campus...you'd walk to the Foundation Building and library in ten mins, it honestly isn't far! Plassey's a long walk away as it's outside the gates, and Kilmurry's a fair walk as well, I'm truly surprised you think Thomond is further from campus than those are )

im living in groody so all of college accommodation are close imo:rolleyes::rolleyes: plassey is still only a 7-8 minute walk from the foundation building if even that. really it depends on how much you mind the walk. i personally dont mind walking so the walk from groody isnt even a big deal to me. (20-25 mins)

as regards the question about how soon should you book off campus accommodation i booked my place in groody the day of the orientation day. off campus accommodation is easy to get. and i know now theres a crap load of rooms stilll available in groody alone.