Stunning apartment, even more spacious and beautiful than the photos and description. I stayed for a month and loved having Sandra’s place as my home base.
Location: The apartment is in the middle of everything. When you walk onto the street and look to your right, you see the Spanish Steps two blocks down. Walk in any direction, and you’re walking down the narrow cobblestone streets of Centro Storico—the ones from the movie version of Rome, lined with gelaterias, restaurants, and the most beautiful buildings.
Safety: I felt completely safe in this neighborhood, even if I was walking alone at 11 pm. People were usually out at the restaurants late at night, or hanging out at the Spanish Steps, so I never found myself truly alone. The apartment is also on a main street (thought not a busy one), where your neighbors are Fendi, Gucci, and Cartier. It felt like there was a lot of security.
Building: The apartment is inside the Palazzo Ruspoli, which looks and feels like a museum, complete with grand staircases and sculptures. The front door is usually guarded. When it’s not guarded, the doors are locked. The building also has a small elevator.
WiFi: Strong WiFi. A Speedtest showed a download speed of 98 mbps and upload speed of 19 mbps. I was able to stream movies and connect to VPN with no issues. One morning, my phone did not connect automatically. I unplugged and replugged the router, which fixed the issue right away.
Air Conditioning: The apartment has an air conditioner in the bedroom and another in the living room. Though I enjoyed having the windows open, the air conditioners were really nice to have when temperatures rose.
Cleanliness: I had no issues with cleanliness. Because I stayed for a few weeks, I asked for fresh linens a few times, and Sandra was gracious about sending someone to change the sheets each time and to clean.
Sleeping: The apartment has one bedroom with a king-sized bed, and the living room couch is not a pull-out. So although the apartment is quite large, I would not recommend staying with more than 2 people.
Kitchen: The apartment has a small kitchen area when you walk in, with a small refrigerator, microwave, and two-stove burner. Though the kitchen is not large, it has what you need to make a simple meal. (And if you do, you have a beautiful dining room to eat in.)
Bathrooms: There’s a half bath when you walk in and a full bath off the dressing room. Note the single shower is quite small—enough room to stand and turn around, but not much more. The water pressure and temperature are excellent.
Laundry: The apartment has a washing machine that is simple to use and very good. I would line dry on the drying rack or by hanging items in the closets.
Closets: Unusual to have a closet section in a review, but this one is worth mentioning. Off the bedroom is a dressing area (larger than some NYC bedrooms) with a wall of two closets, so you’ll have plenty of space to unpack.
Light/Views: Gorgeous views of terracotta rooftops, church bells, and colorful buildings. Lots of natural light all day long. The sunrise is beautiful from every direction, and you have a perfect view of the sunset from the living room couch.