Part 1: Everything started out fine. Make sure to read part 2.
Check in was easy. The location is incredibly noisy, but main floor windows are double so it is not loud inside with them shut. Great location. Walk to all of Trastevere.
The main floor rain shower feature is terribly mildewed around the ceiling, the ceiling around it has extensive water damage, the tile grout is black with mildew, the bottom of the shower door rubber barrier is displaced and if put back on, water leaks out of the shower, soaking the paper thin towels supplied - leaving no options to dry off with, and the rain shower head is clogged with sediment, so the hand held sprayer was the only option to get showered efficiently.
The mini kitchen has low hanging ceilings (watch your head) and an odd configuration which makes it hard to use. There were no potholders, and only one kitchen towel.
The minimal bath towels supplied are paper thin and scratchy, not comfortable.
The washing machine washes one load for many hours, and the all in one unit dryer option left clothing with a horrible smell, so everything needed to be rewashed and hung to dry instead (which is the norm for the area).
Bed was comfortable. No offer of a change of sheets during the 10 day stay.
The kitchen is minimally stocked, and glassware is random, looking like they were taken from restaurants.
The terraces are a nice feature, but can’t be accessed if there is a guest sleeping in the second bedroom, since that is where the door to them is. The upper terrace is not lit at night, and a huge hazard if you are up there at night and miss a steep step. It would be a very bad fall.
PART 2: Here’s the real info you need to know.
After arriving back home from a very long day of travel, there was a request for almost $600 for a broken mirror in the first floor bathroom with pictures provided, a broken glass tray, and a cheap broken glass tumbler (like from a restaurant) which was called “crystal.” (I organized the plates and mismatched glasswear, cleaned all silverware, and organized the minimal kitchen items before I left btw.) From the pictures sent in the “damage claim,” the bathroom mirror was extensively cracked and looked like someone hit it with a hammer. Not me. Not cool. I did not break these items. How could I have possibly broken a mirror like that. I am a quiet, responsible, non violent, book reading, non smoking, clean person. Speaking of clean…the sink below the mirror I supposedly broke, had green algae growing on the drain stopper. Same sink took forever to drain, leaving a layer of scum after finally clearing. So it was never free of toothpaste or soap after draining, leaving me to wipe it down with…yes, another paper thin wet towel. How disappointing to come home from a good and quiet, low key 10 day stay to see my son, to get an email that I’m being scammed. Either the cleaning crew broke the mirror, tray (never used it) and glass, or there are saved pictures from some other time used to rope in more income after guests leave. I will be inquiring with AIRBNB regarding if there other claims against this host, or if this a common problem.
It is highly questionable when the guest is back home, half way around the world, without the ability to locally defend themselves. Sketchy. Which one happened? Cleaning crew or host scam? Who’s doing the cleaning?
I texted the host’s helper, Gianni, after I left to let him know the unit would be vacated by 11am as requested. I thanked him for the stay and said that I enjoyed it.
I overlooked the yuck features and decided to be patient and cool about the misrepresentations of features.
How there are so many great reviews is interesting as well. Seems odd.
Either way, it stinks to get home and be blamed for something I didn’t do, and be hit with a $600 damage request. No way am I going to pay that. I am not going to fall it. This is FRAUD. AIRBND-I hope you see this before I can decipher the customer support system to get a REAL person to speak with about this incident. I hope to protect and warn anyone else looking to book this place. It’s a terrible punch in the gut to come home to this after being a good guest. Someone is not telling the truth between the host and the cleaning crew. Terrible.
I’ve rented through Airbnb twice, and both times had host problems, very similar to each other, when I did nothing but leave the places pre cleaned and in order. It seems there are loopholes for hosts to squeeze out more money from their guests.
Hope this helps. Consider a hotel.