Upon reading the other reviews, my friend and I had very high hopes for this place. Unfortunately we were not able to share the same excitement as the other travelers. As much as I would have loved to leave a positive review, I must be honest with my experience in hopes that some changes will made.
Let me start with the positives. As advertised, the place was quirky with fun posters and interior design. It felt like each poster and nic-nacs were carefully chosen to match the theme. The place was located in a very safe feeling neighborhood and I felt safe walking at night. There are a lot of places to eat in the area as well.
Unfortunately there were plenty of downsides that lead me to feel that I do not want to stay here again.
First of all, it is definitely more than 10mins to and from the station. If you have large luggage, be prepared for the sweats and sores hauling it from the station.
Secondly, the whole place felt a bit dirty with dingy looking rugs and cushions. As soon as we walked in, the whole place smelled like sewage and did not go away for our entire stay. No one had mentioned this in previous reviews so it may have just been a winter/timing thing but I wish I knew this beforehand.
The is a LOT of walking in Rome. Basically you can walk around the whole central city in a day if you like to walk. But even for us, who love walking everywhere, we did want to come back to a place where we can relax and unwind. This place was not that place and it’s not just the sewage smell you walk into. The bedroom is underground and there is a loft with a small sofa. There is also an uncomfortable 1 person sofa-thingy and 2 stools on the ground floor. At the end of a day with lots of walking, there’s really no place to just relax... yes, there is that loft space, but you have to go up a flight of stairs and carefully maneuver onto the sofa so you don’t fall off the ledge. It just wasn’t a place I felt comfortable after a long tiring day.
The place is advertised to have a washing machine, which it does, however, it is tucked into a tiny closet under the stairs and very difficult to get to. Also, the detergent compartment is absolutely filthy. No one has washed that compartment in a very long time. So much soap scum has built up in it that I just did not feel comfortable washing my clothes in it.
Lastly, some suggestions for the owners:
1) Cleaning. Perhaps invest in a professional cleaner once in a while. Update the dirty looking rugs and deep clean the floors. The cushions definitely need some TLC as well. Not to mention the washing machine.
2) The shower could use a shower rack. There is no where to place your shampoos/soaps. It’ll be helpful to have a rack in the corner of the shower for that stuff.
3) Lighting. The whole place felt dark even with the windows opened
4)Closet. There are closets in the bedroom with hangers but they are made for people who are 2meters tall. We had to use stools to reach them.
Again, I very much regret to have to leave this kind of review because, again, I was looking forward to this place so much. I hope the owners will take some of my suggestions and make improvements for future travelers.
Thank you.