Before I write this review, I think it's important to disclose that we are a young, middle class, family from Milan. I am American, but my husband is Italian and our kids are 10 and 8. We are more than familiar with European living standards; we don't expect luxury accommodations and we're pretty low maintenance and easy going. Still, our stay in this apartment was incredibly disappointing.
When we walked in, there was a faint odor of urine coming from the small bathroom, which also had bird droppings on the wall. There were light switch plates missing (uglier to look at than functionally problematic) and the doors were damaged; some looked like they'd been kicked with significant force at the bottom, another looked like somebody had tried to break it down (the frame had been broken). The windows also looked like they had been forced, as if somebody had tried to break into the apartment. This last aspect was particularly unsettling since we were traveling with a computer and portable DVD player for the car ride with the kids - luckily nothing was stolen during our stay! The water pressure was ridiculously low (strange for a basement apartment, such as this one), there was mold in the shower (not because it was dirty, per se, more than because nobody had taken the care to remove it as it accumulated over the years) and the toilet seat in the larger bathroom was broken and wobbled every time you sat. Using the bathrooms gave you a general feeling of uncleanliness despite they appeared to have been cleaned recently. We all wore shower shoes in the house and in the shower. Shampoo was provided, but it was only a sufficient amount if you were staying 1 night, and there were only 2 half rolls of toilet paper provided for 4 people staying 3 nights (and, no, there wasn't a stash anywhere in the house...so we bought our own from the convenient store around the corner) and no hair dryer. The air conditioners are the portable space cooling type, which means that the rooms don't stay cool unless they run at all hours (which we didn't do, both because it is wasteful and because we were afraid they'd break while we were out and flood the apartment). Consequently, to avoid sweating while you sleep, you need to keep them on (and they're noisy). Oh yeah, and when I moved one of the beds against the wall so my child wouldn't accidentally fall out while sleeping, I found a piece of glass under the bed and some plastic wrapping from a previous guest. The kitchen didn't look like it was equipped for much other than ordering in, so we honestly didn't use it much. There also weren't any windows so that made the choice to eat out all the time easier. The only time we ate in the kitchen we used the paper trays and takeout cups provided by the bar. Also, the keys were difficult to turn to un/lock the (house) door - we often had to fidget with it for 2 minutes before being able to leave the house. Overall, I would not return to this apartment even if it were free, much less recommend staying here. Maybe it'd be OK for three young couples who just needed a place to crash, but in that case I think I'd prefer a hostel. As my husband put it, staying in there too long felt like you were being punished -- if it weren't so hot, camping probably would have been just as comfortable and cheaper.
The only positive things about this place were Netflix (which the girls only watched for a few minutes) and the location; it's relatively close to most major attractions, there's a metro station nearby, as well as an American market and a couple of convenience stores around the corner. I would advise NOT to have breakfast at the bar with the blue overhead shade curtains - we paid €26 for a cappuccino, an espresso, 2 juices and 4 almost uneatable pastries; the Chinese bar up the road is much better and costs half the price!
Prima di scrivere questa recensione, penso che sia importante rivelare che siamo una famiglia giovane di Milano. Io sono americana, ma mio marito è italiano e le nostre figlie hanno 10 e 8 anni. Conosciamo più che bene gli standard di vita europei; non ci aspettiamo alloggi di lusso e siamo piuttosto a bassa manutenzione e facili da gestire. Tuttavia, il nostro soggiorno in questo appartamento è stato incredibilmente deludente.
Quando siamo entrati, c'era un leggero odore di urina che proveniva dal bagno piccolo, che aveva anche escrementi di uccello sul muro. Mancavano le piastre degli interruttori della luce (più brutte da guardare che un problema funzionale) e le porte erano danneggiate; alcune sembravano essere state prese a calci, un'altra sembrava che qualcuno avesse cercato di romperla e tirarla giù (il telaio era stato rotto). Anche le finestre sembravano essere state forzate, come se qualcuno avesse cercato di entrare nell'appartamento. Quest'ultimo aspetto è stato particolarmente inquietante, visto che stavamo viaggiando con un computer e un lettore DVD portatile per il viaggio in macchina con le bambine - per fortuna non è stato rubato nulla durante il nostro soggiorno! La pressione dell'acqua era ridicolmente bassa (strano per un appartamento seminterrato, come questo), c'era della muffa nella doccia (non perché fosse sporca, di per sé, più che perché nessuno si era preso la cura di rimuoverla come si era accumulata nel corso degli anni) e la tavoletta del water nel bagno più grande era rotta e vacillava ogni volta che ci si sedeva. L'uso dei bagni dava una sensazione generale di impurità, nonostante sembrassero puliti di recente. Tutti noi indossavamo scarpe da doccia in casa e sotto la doccia. Lo shampoo era fornito, ma era sufficiente solo per una notte, e c'erano solo 2 mezzi rotoli di carta igienica per 4 persone per 3 notti (e, no,