The Lawns - Oh dear! (Halls Of Residence At The University Of Hull)

Member Name: Lawns resident

Product:	Halls Of Residence At The University Of Hull
Date:	12/03/09 (521 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great price, food's fairly good, Cottingham is lovely and the surroundings are green

Disadvantages: Many

Hello, and thank you for reading this review! The University of Hull is a fantastic place to study, and Hull, contrary to what the media will tell you, is an amazing city! Accommodation is important, and you should take time to consider your choice. This is a review of The Lawns, in Cottingham.

Price

People usually leave the price until last - but I might as well mention it in now; The Lawns, for student accommodation, is very good in terms of price compared to other halls in other cities, and if you get one of the newly refurbished blocks - you have found yourself a great deal!

Room:

The newly refurbished halls:
So, what's your room like? Well, if you're lucky enough to be in one of the newly refurbished halls; we'll take Grant Hall as an example. The kitchens, even though your evening meal is provided for you, is a generous size with all new cupboards, microwave, cooker, and plenty of tables and chairs so you can chat with your blockmates! It's my understanding that all rooms in Grant are en suite, and the bathrooms are very nice! Cupboards, desks and curtains are new, and you have a computer chair at your desk too!

Those rooms awaiting refurbishment in the next few years:

Disappointing would be the best word! Firstly the positives: the rooms are all fairly warm; you don't really notice if it's stormy outside or bad weather, and at the basement you have a 'dry room' where you can let your laundry dry off. To be honest, the room could do with being a lot bigger, but it is very useful and I'm glad it's there! Now the bad stuff; firstly, the kitchens: 9 people per floor in my block (it's the same for most blocks) and the kitchens are big enough for 3 people to squeeze into; if the door is open - and with 3 in there you can't move to do anything! The fridge/freezer doesn't fit in the kitchen so it stands on the landing - which is really inconvenient because it's seperated from the kitchen by a fire door which slams shut in a rather loud manner - and wakes everybody up! There are no draws or cupboards in the kitchen - which is actually hugely irritating when you need some cutlery, or a plate etc, and there aren't any fitted appliances (unless you count the sink); rather two portable hobs with an oven that takes 20 minutes to heat up underneath, and another two portable hobs with a grill underneath. We're not allowed toasters, and technically we shouldn't have a kettle either. There is one microwave between all 25 of us; when that broke down it took 4 weeks for it to be replaced! Also we have the window open in the kitchen at all hours in case someone cooks something and it sets the fire alarm off - so it's really cold in there. Your room itself; basic, at best. Really old desk, 1 uncomfy chair, TINY beds with uncomfy matresses, but you do get your own sink. Also, there are only 2 sockets, so bring an adaptor. You have an ancient cupboard that smells musty, and an old bedside table with 3 draws. In my hall, the only communual area is the common room, which has enough seats for 4 people (the common room is used by over 100)! We did have some old chairs and tables on the landings, but they've been taken away. We weren't told why. That was 5 months ago, so we sit on the floor (or bring bean bags). You have free access to the internet at all hours in your room - which is briliant!

Facilities
Washing machines are £2 or £1.50 each (depends on the hall). Driers are 50p for 45 minutes, but they don't get very warm. Common room has a flat screen tv. No DVD player but you can plug your own into the tv.

The Lawns Centre:
Central hub of The Lawns. Actually, very good! It has it's own bar with a good atmosphere, if you are semi-catered, you get a choice of meal here in the evenings, and the food's not all that bad either! There is a large common room there - not used very often, but you can play pool, snooker, table tennis etc, so it's a good laugh! There are a couple of old games machines too which are worth a go.

Management
The Lawns staff themselves (the ones who work at The Lawns Centre) are lovely people! The canteen and bar staff are great too, and the cleaners are really nice! However, I do have some serious concerns about the wardens of certain halls. I make no exadurations here, but I'm appauled by the way serious situations at my hall have been handled! My blockmates are often reluctant to approach our warden, too, and she has little to do with us (most consider that a good thing!) Thankfully, students tend to look out for each other and the blocks tend to run themselves. And my block mates are all really nice people!

Surroundings/Cottingham
Cottingham is a lovely place! 10 minute walk to the shops, where you have a choice of Sommerfield or Sainsbury's Local (both are pretty good)! The Christmas lights in Cottingham are brilliant too! Buses are every 20 minutes on a week day, and then every half hour until ~11pm - so getting to uni is not a problem despite the distance - hop on the bus at The Lawns and hop off at the uni or in town! The Lawns is also wonderfully green!

So; The Lawns! If you get into one of the newly refitted blocks (which nowadays is more likely than not, and each hall is being refurnished one by one) you will have lovely accommodation at a great price! If you end up in one of the old halls, however, things aren't very good! I really want to stress though that my block mates are brilliantly friendly and we all have a great time! It isn't like there are nails sticking out of things and the roof is falling off - it's just the places are terribly tired and in need of some attention. Wardens; depends on your hall. I've very little faith in my hall's, and I'd say most of my block agree on that. The Lawns IS a great place to stay! That said, if you have the extra money, i would recommend considering Thwaite Hall too?

Summary: It's okay - consider Thwaite Hall though!