Antonino’s place was amazing! Pretty much exactly as described and with many pros and only a few minor cons which weren’t an issue for us. Overall an amazing value for the price, especially relative to other hotel or Airbnb options. Highly recommended and we would come back!
Pros:
-Antonino is a very welcoming host (english is a little rough in verbal conversation but he was very nice and made sure we were situated and happy with no further questions!)
-large place, even by non-city standards
-all amenities available, including full kitchen and plates/silverware, and even some basic foods and coffee
-has WiFi (elaboration in cons below)
-washing machine works well and soap provided (although we finished the bottle so we replaced it)
-helpful materials available like tour guide books and language books
-comfortable beds
-extremely clean
-satellite TV with lots of good movie channels for relaxing evenings
-plenty of natural light and 3 tall windows that open up to see the streets and hear the sounds of the city, but they close with shutters to make it quiet and dark when you like
-decent A/C
-VERY conveniently located, central to spanish steps, Vatican, pantheon, Villa Borghese, amazing restaurants, many beautiful piazzas including Populo and Navona, bus stop right outside the door, grocery store 1 block, and newsstand with bus tickets and ATM 100 ft away. Only a 25 min walk to Colosseum also, which isn’t bad. About the same to Stadio Olimpico if you are interested in catching a game while in town like we did.
Cons:
-We couldn’t help but notice a minor sewage like smell in the bathroom. It didn’t leave the bathroom and wasn’t horrible with the air fresheners he has, but ever present nonetheless.
-The WiFi was functioning pretty smoothly during our 10 day stay, but is slow speeds (5-7 mbps download max, 1-1.5 mbps upload). During a couple evenings we realized we didn’t have a WiFi connection and I had been unintentionally racking up data charges with my cell plan. Being very familiar and comfortable with WiFi and routers, I know it’s not something Antonino could just come and fix, so we didn’t bother reaching out. It began working after we returned from an outing or woke from a nap so it wasn’t a huge deal, but be aware if you need it for business or travel. From the other reviews we read we expected spotty internet and it was better than anticipated which was nice.
Overall it was an even better stay than expected and you absolutely CANNOT BEAT THE VALUE!!! Thank you Antonino!!