University Of Portsmouth - Rees Hall

It is cheap and the breakfast is good. The rooms are noisy and the bed is really worn out.

Pleasant friendly staff with clean rooms and good food

Food is ok slightly moldy rooms

Stayed here on a recommendation of a conference I was at. It's student halls, so nothing is high end, but everything worked and the staff were all very helpful and lovely. The breakfast is good, and there is a bar on site.

Staff are fantastic and the rooms are quite modern.

Rees hall is one of the halls of residents at the University of Portsmouth.its opposite the Southsea common. Its a catered hall with the cafeteria at the ground floor.Each floor has a pantry equipped with microwave and refrigerators.

Nice view to the Southsea Common and the sea. The food served there is decent to pretty good, depends of the day and your personal choice. The rooms' bathroom and especially the shared pantry could have been bigger though.

4 points to make. Pros/cons at bottom.

[1] Great catering by very friendly kitchen staff. Saves time with shopping, cooking, washing up. There is much choice with weekday dinners: pick 1 of 4 mains, your choice of up to 4/5 sides (e.g. chips, veg, soup), wide choice of dessert (usually one hot dessert and a selection of cold desserts). Sometimes, there are themed dinners (Xmas, Halloween, Mexican, BBQ, Chinese New Year). Likewise, breakfasts have plenty choice: full English, white/wholemeal bread with choice of spreads, cereal (cornflakes, rice crispies, coco pops), milk (and alternatives), yoghurts, porridge, pastry and sometimes mini pancakes/waffles. Ask for veggie/vegan sausages. All meals: fruit, condiments available, and help yourself with hot drinks, tea, squash, water. Must bring your own reusable bottle/mug.

[2] Very helpful halls staff. Use the online portal to log any and all issues/defects with your room, they tend to sort it quickly. Or, go to reception and let them know there. Better to use the online portal just in case you need to track progress and the issue drags on. You can ask for cleaning advice too. Weak shower pressure? Mould? Broken radiator? Tell them ASAP, they'll sort it quickly. This is a university-run halls, they provide better support than a private halls because they have more influence over student welfare.

[3] Two common rooms. TV. Pool table. Foosball table. PlayStation. Plenty games (board, card, poker). You can hook up your own console to the TV. One small courtyard.

[4] Read through the guide booklet they provide. It will help. Buy slippers. I found it well worth it to bring my own mini fridge for my room. Two lifts. Your room determines whether you have a single bed or double bed. If you have a games console, you might want an ethernet cable. Room is in a corridor, not a flat.

+ Catered means more time for work, activities, socialising. No shopping, cooking, or washing up.
+ Plenty food choice. Good for trying new dishes you'll want to make when you start cooking.
+ Helpful halls staff and kitchen staff that accommodate to your dietary requirements. More supportive than privately-run halls and private landlords/landladies who can be hit-and-miss.
+ En-suite bathroom.
+ Pleasant location by the seafront.
+ Bike storage.
+ Incredibly powerful wifi.
+ Minimal cleaning duties: only your own room and en-suite. Unlike other halls/houses, no need for chore rotas, chore disagreements, no taking bins to pavement every week.
- Most expensive halls by far.
- Catered means if you don't like the food, you have few options since you don't have access to any oven/cooker. You only have access to a kitchenette (one on each floor) with a fridge, kettle, microwave.
- Set meal times (e.g. 4.45-7.45pm weekday dinner in 2019-20).
- One fridge / set of cupboards per floor means sharing that storage with dozens other residents. (But, you can keep your own mini fridge and your pantry items in your room).
- Tiny bathroom with small sink.
- Furthest halls from teaching buildings (but still easy walking distance).