This is a hard review for me to write and it’s a long one. However, I need to be honest and inform others so that they can make the best decision and know what they are getting themselves into. Because of our negative experience, it over shadowed all the positives and unfortunately tainted our stay. And I do hope these major issues are fixed.
We concur with what others have said about Tina and Max’s hospitality, service, location and etc which you can see by reading all the reviews.
First, Max is very charismatic and especially so when acting oblivious to known problem(s) which clearly has been written about and have not been rectified.
There are 3 known problems which are mentioned and scattered in previous reviews over the year(s). In my opinion, I believe there would be more written about these issues but due to both Tina and Max acting oblivious, charming and throwing small breadcrumbs to “smooth things over” for the inconvenience(s), it’s overlooked by guests. In fact, my cousin stated that he would not have mentioned all that happened because they were so nice.
Issue #1
There is a musty/moldy odor throughout the apartment. With some mold noted in the bathroom showers and around the master window. It affected both of us though I didn’t realize what it was until later. So if you have asthma, respiratory issues or are sensitive to mold, it may trigger a response.
Issue #2
The hot water did not keep it’s temperature so it was impossible to take a shower. Imagine getting into the lukewarm shower and without warning someone throws a bucket of ice water on you. Also, there was no time to apply soap or even rinse the soap off if you were quick enough to lather up.
And a minor thing, the towels
needed to be replaced as they were thinned and rough.
Issue #3
Burst pipe which flooded the entire apartment except for the living room due to it being elevated via steps.
If you take the time to carefully read the reviews, it’s a known problem which was mentioned and scattered throughout over the past year or so,
My cousin and I stayed 5 days/4 nights at the apartment. When we took a shower later in the evening on our first day, there was an issue with the hot water not getting hot and not keeping it’s temperature. And within seconds, the water would go from hot( lukewarm actually) to ice cold and it stayed cold.
I messaged Tina and she responded promptly. Tina mentioned that this had never happened before. However, a recent guest had written about it just a few days prior to our stay, so it clearly was a previous issue. We were out to dinner when Max “attempted” to fix it. We were told the problem was fixed which it wasn’t. We reported that it wasn’t resolved on the second day and on the third day which was Sunday, we did not take a shower as I had tested the shower and it remained unchanged.
Max brought a plumber/heating assistant by to inspect on Sunday though we were out exploring so we cannot confirm anything. We were told that the internal exchanger didn’t work and that Max would purchase the part so it could be repaired next day which was Monday.
So, in the meantime, the solution to take a shower was to turn on the water from the bathroom sink then turn on the shower without turning on the cold water. This process supplied enough warm water to take a quick shower which was very stressful not knowing if or when we’d be dosed with ice cold water.
Here’s where things got really interesting. Monday night around 11:55pm, I was sleeping while my cousin was taking a shower. He notice the water pressure had suddenly become so low that barely any water was coming out. When he got out of the shower to inspect the situation, he noticed the entire bathroom was flooded. The water was shooting out of a pipe from the back of the bidet. The water flooded his master bathroom, bedroom, the hallway, my bathroom, my bedroom and the kitchen.
We called Max and he walked us through shutting off the main water valve from outside. He and Tina came to clean up which took well over an hour. They apologized and stated it had never happened before. Max said, that he’d go to the store and hopefully find the part to fix the water line from the bidet by 9 am so that we could take a shower in the am before leaving.
Apparently, the mesh wiring on the pipe that was badly frayed had finally come apart. It looked like it had been “fixed” before. With the main water supply to the apartment turned off, we were unable to shower, brush our teeth, we could use the toilet but couldn’t flush, nor could we wash the few containers in the kitchen sink that we used.
The whole ordeal was so distressing. We didn’t get to sleep until well after 3am. And we had to leave in the morning for Venice so we were on a time constraint. Max and Tina arrived at our apartment at 9am to place 2 metal caps over the line behind the bidet. We were already up and dressed by the time they arrived and decided against showering. We simply wanted to leave by then.
Out of curiosity, I asked Max when was the water issue going to be fixed. He said the plumber was coming later that day at 4 PM. That’s the whole day and that’s if they actually came.
For the inconvenience, Max paid for an Italian breakfast( 2 cappuccinos, croissants and juice) one morning and our Taxi fare to Termini station (15 euros) upon checkout. He also offered to extend our stay for 2 free nights at the apartment and a discount 50% discount on a future stay