Monica is just incredible. After we booked her place, I contacted Monica about the possibility of dropping off our luggage before check-in since we were arriving at 10 am. Monica instantly replied, telling us that there was no problem doing that. Since then, she spent a lot of time answering my questions about recommendations for restaurants, tours, transfers, and a few other things. She dedicated so much of her time helping us without having arrived in Rome, yet! That is just incredible in itself. When we arrived in Rome, we went to her apartment, and met Monica and her husband. Monica had a map ready for us to get to the Colosseum, Trevi fountain, the Vatican, churches, restaurants, stores, etc. She even had a bottle of Prosecco for us as a welcome gift!! We were speechless seeing how much she cared about our stay. After Monica explained to us how to get to the places we wanted to visit, she called to make a reservation at a restaurant that served good pasta dishes. She made the reservation under her name to make sure the owner knew we were her guests. She also made a reservation for us at her favorite restaurant. Both restaurant recommendations were wonderful! The food was so good at both restaurants, that we ended up going back a few days later. Monica also put us in touch with a certified tour guide, who provided private tours of the Colosseum and the Vatican. That was another great thing she did for us. We skipped the line at both places, and learned a lot about the history of the Colosseum and the Vatican. When we went to Trastevere, I texted Monica about a restaurant recommendation there. Since she didn’t know any restaurants in that area, she contacted a friend, who also provided another wonderful recommendation. Monica gave us recommendations for good olive oil and limoncello, and the place to purchase both items. Lastly, she arranged for our transfer to the airport, and when we ran into a minor problem, she called the owner of the company that provided the transfer to get the issue fixed. I cannot stress enough how wonderful Monica is.
Now, about the apartment, it was really nice. I compare it to a boutique hotel, such as the Archer in NY City. The apartment had large, comfortable rooms and a beautiful kitchen. There was a big TV downstairs, near the dining table, as well as big TVs in the upstairs family room and both bedrooms. There were nice details, such as a partial glass floor on the upstairs family room, and a large, modern shower in the main bedroom's bath. The location couldn’t be more perfect. It’s near Trevi fountain and Piazza Navona, in a safe area behind the parliament. The Colosseum and the Pantheon were within walking distance, as well. We loved the apartment for its comfort and location.
The success of a trip always has a bit of a dependency on the place where you stay and the host. I have to say that we had the best time of our trip of Italy in Rome, and that’s in good part thanks to Monica and the incredible, personalized service she provided to us. She does anything and everything to make sure that you have the best time in Rome.
I’ll summarize our experience with Monica by saying that not staying at Monica’s apartment in Rome is akin to going to Rome and not visiting the Colosseum.
Thanks Monica for the incredible stay and experience!!