Thread: Beware of Ruth's place

Please take a look in person first before signing the lease.

(see below)

I'm living at Ruth's Place right now.
She is the BEST landlady I ever stayed with. She picked me up from (and will drop me to) the Airport, takes me anywhere I need to go anytime--grocery, into town, to the banks, to shop/sight see, school!, any day we ask her. FOR FREE. If we ever had problems anytime day or night, just a phone call would make her come over and fix it.
I'm really glad I'm here beacause I'm paying less than $500 a month (vs a fancier place where you pay $1,200 a month). We get electrcity, water, Air conditioning and a room fan, Cable TV, plus Internet FREE! um...maybe people complaining here lived in a Palace, but if you have any experience traveling or living, and living as a POOR Student which most of us are (with $100,000 or so in loans) then this place is close to heaven in terms of accomodation Yes my studio is smaller than my apartment back in the US, and I have had a few bugs (which die instantly if you spray them & keep your appt clean), but living with Ruth as the landlord tops it because she is seriously the nicest lady ever. I can't comment on the cars b/c I take the AUA bus or walk to campus (like a 15-20 min walk), but you can rent a car from elsewhere that's nice. Ruth lets us take the cars out for anything for FREE. Oh, and on Most Sundays, she picks us all up from campus and takes us to the restaurant right next door, Rosa's where we get to eat a really big and delicious lunch--free again! Courtesy of Ruth and Rosa--who is this little sweet and beautiful Spanish lady. I'm speaking on behalf of the 11 friends I have living here. That's right. We all are really happy with what we have.
Oh, there's NO Noise I ever heard from near by. Pretty quiet studying.
So I recommend Ruth's to anyone. Or you know what, go stay in a fancy hotel like all the visiting professors; or you know what, score higher on the MCAT so you can live like a prince or princess back in the US. And most of us can't, b/c life doesn't work this way.

P.s. If you guys come to AUA, you can ask the Housing Director Pat Ho, ANYTHING, like her views on Any landlord, like Ruth, and hear it form her ok? She told me exactly what I'm telling you, and I was confident in choosing Ruth's Place, and am very happy with my decision.

You know what guys, Med school is hard, not living in the US with our comfy life style is hard, and pretty much anything worthwhile in life is hard (for the most of us I think), but you have to make the best of it. And you learn patience, and how incredibly strong you are along the way. So I hope at the end you do emerge as a better person, with so much experience, and patience, before you meet your patients.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE.
God bless us & help us.

(see above)

Nice advertisement! I have dealt with Ruth before, and I can promise you that she is extremely helpful and nice at first but once you decide not to stay at her place anymore. She turns into a very nasty person. In my opinion, the original poster just wanted to warn new or transfer students not to make the same mistake that he/she did. Just be wise everyone and check out Ruth's place first in person before sending in any deposit. Even if she insist on a deposit just tell her, you will pay once check out the place first. My recommendation is to talk Pat Ho from student housing services. Transfer students Please arrived at least one week prior to the beginning of the semester to check out your apartments, and make sure its clean and safe. Best of Luck to everyone!

Originally Posted by HabibAllah

I'm living at Ruth's Place right now.
She is the BEST landlady I ever stayed with. She picked me up from (and will drop me to) the Airport, takes me anywhere I need to go anytime--grocery, into town, to the banks, to shop/sight see, school!, any day we ask her. FOR FREE. If we ever had problems anytime day or night, just a phone call would make her come over and fix it.
I'm really glad I'm here beacause I'm paying less than $500 a month (vs a fancier place where you pay $1,200 a month). We get electrcity, water, Air conditioning and a room fan, Cable TV, plus Internet FREE! um...maybe people complaining here lived in a Palace, but if you have any experience traveling or living, and living as a POOR Student which most of us are (with $100,000 or so in loans) then this place is close to heaven in terms of accomodation Yes my studio is smaller than my apartment back in the US, and I have had a few bugs (which die instantly if you spray them & keep your appt clean), but living with Ruth as the landlord tops it because she is seriously the nicest lady ever. I can't comment on the cars b/c I take the AUA bus or walk to campus (like a 15-20 min walk), but you can rent a car from elsewhere that's nice. Ruth lets us take the cars out for anything for FREE. Oh, and on Most Sundays, she picks us all up from campus and takes us to the restaurant right next door, Rosa's where we get to eat a really big and delicious lunch--free again! Courtesy of Ruth and Rosa--who is this little sweet and beautiful Spanish lady. I'm speaking on behalf of the 11 friends I have living here. That's right. We all are really happy with what we have.
Oh, there's NO Noise I ever heard from near by. Pretty quiet studying.
So I recommend Ruth's to anyone. Or you know what, go stay in a fancy hotel like all the visiting professors; or you know what, score higher on the MCAT so you can live like a prince or princess back in the US. And most of us can't, b/c life doesn't work this way.

P.s. If you guys come to AUA, you can ask the Housing Director Pat Ho, ANYTHING, like her views on Any landlord, like Ruth, and hear it form her ok? She told me exactly what I'm telling you, and I was confident in choosing Ruth's Place, and am very happy with my decision.

You know what guys, Med school is hard, not living in the US with our comfy life style is hard, and pretty much anything worthwhile in life is hard (for the most of us I think), but you have to make the best of it. And you learn patience, and how incredibly strong you are along the way. So I hope at the end you do emerge as a better person, with so much experience, and patience, before you meet your patients.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE.
God bless us & help us.

I have lived at Ruths for a year already and have NOT been disappointed. Yes you have minor problems here and there but she is always there to fix it. She goes above and beyond to assure your happy. The apartments are what you make of it, we are rather clean people so prior to moving in we cleaned thoroughly to make sure we were happy. We are all adults(hopefully) and should be able to prevent infestations by keeping our places clean. Being here a year, I have never had any rodent problems, and we exterminate every 3 months to prevent future problems. I can also confirm Habib's statements about free rides, lunches, etc. Yea the apartments aren't comparable to Sandals but if your on a budget, want to be close to school, with the best landlord then Ruths is a good place to be. Also I never hear any music from the neighbors, and they are actually very friendly people.

I agree with the others it is your own fault for not looking at the place prior to moving in. To be honest, what person wouldnt get a little edgy when your affecting their business/money, while they are trying to make you happy!

Be blessed, and if your new to Antigua please be open minded to your surroundings.

There are cheap and adequate housing just down the street from Ruth's called ******* apartment. My roommate and I found this place for 600$/month, so each only pay 300$/month. The apartment is a two bedroom townhouse, it is absolutely beautiful, well lit and safe (have not had any trouble yet). Laundry is also available for 2 EC to wash and 2 EC to dry. ******* apartment includes everything except electricity, but if you stay at school all the time then electricity should be cheap.

Be patient with housing at AUA and you will find gems, rush and you will end up in a land mine. You can find a great place to live on a budget, don't let the landlords or the school tell you otherwise!!! Be patient and look a bit for better options, use your money to stay in a nice place to save yourself the stress, don't put it into a deposit that you will loose because of unbearable conditions.



good luck with housing.

The best thing is to check out the place before you move in and decide if it is nice enough for your needs, because if you decide to leave you might have trouble getting it back.

just be careful everyone

There are plenty of adds for cheap and adequate housing at school.

Hey guys,
I transferred into AUA so I didn't live on the island before living at Ruth's so I'm unable to comment on other appts.
I really want to add that bringing the following things below will make your stay much more plesant if you're living at Ruth's:
1) Scented candles
2) your own cleaning supplies (antibacterial wipes, sponges, etc). Ruth does clean the appt before you move in but you may have to re-clean it yourself periodically. You also get a mop and broom. And can ask her for anything.
3) Your own Shower curtains, bed sheets, and pillow (you won't regret it)
4) liners for drawers/closet.
5) your own hangers

A lot of stuff you can purchase from the island but it's costly. Having your own car makes life heaven, or car pool. But taking the bus can be ok too. Just remember you're here to study and not get bothered by other things. It's not America but you WILL return home soon enough.

Certain things may upset you time to time at Ruth's:
--power outage once in a while (when all students are home and using their ACs, fans, and microwaves)
--low water pressure (again when all students are home)
Ruth's there for anything. I really liked her.

Most importantly, I highly recommend you have a friend that's living near you or there too because you're going to need all that support for days when you're frustrated with school, living circumstance, or life.

I hope everyone finds housing they like and can afford.
I agree with everyone above on checking out where you will live before you pay--if your living envt is impt enough to you to affect studying. ESP NEW STUDENTS!!

Personally I came in with my mind only on studying and didn't let the small things bother me too much.
As they say:
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things!
Be safe!
p.s. You must try the 12 pack of raisin buns sold in the bread isle at Epicurian. They're only 3.75 EC and will make your life heavenly. I got my friends addicted to them too. haha!