Staying with Max in Rome was one of the best decisions that we made. He was so quick in answering our questions and emails. He even let us arrive a day early-which happened to be the very next day. We arrived in Rome with our rental car and had made arrangements to park it securely right next to the apartment.
The apartment itself is just as pictured. The room was great and the apartment was spotless. He had a bottle of wine, fruits, chocolates, and even a converter waiting for us in our room. He really thought of everything. He gave us a tour of the neighborhood when we arrived. The guy loves Rome and does whatever it takes to make sure you do too.
He helped us plan our days, gave us directions, even had maps and a Rick Steve's guidebook for us to tool around with. He saved us money because we had done so much internet research we were ready to buy a Roma pass and he very nicely told us that it was unnecessary. He was absolutely right. We walked the city only using the bus for 2 short rides. One day the buses were on strike so it wouldn't have helped us anyways. Sometimes we didn't take his advice and realized he was right (the coliseum isn't worth the money, just walk around outside).
The apartment is closely located to grocery stores, bus stops and some great pizza and gelato. He'll introduce you to them, they will remember you, and make you feel like family especially Erica when you get gelato.
This was our first trip to Europe so we needed our hand held about many things. If this isn't the case for you, Max will NOT be in your face. He isn't the type. However, we welcomed it. Keep in mind that the apartment is in Rome so you will hear street noise, especially with the school across the street. But if you're looking for peace and quiet on vacation, odds are you won't go to Rome in the first place. If you want a clean place with a great host, this is the place for you.