I thought it might be better to write my review in real-time rather than as an afterthought.

I'm currently lay in bed at midnight. I say bed, it's actually a grubby futon with no duvet cover or sheets (we requested 3 beds and got 2 mattresses on the floor of 2 bedrooms with clean duvets and a futon with no bedding downstairs).

My head is against the wall of our loft apartment. On the other side is a bar which wasn't mentioned in the description. They play loud reggae music as a kind of late night lullaby which rather than soothe you off to sleep, forces you to press pillows against your ears. The music is so loud that you can still feel the bass pumping in your chest.

When I wake in the morning after broken sleep, I can look forward to the breakfast that I've had to buy. The host neglected the breakfast element of B&B. Having only narrowly managed the remember the Bed aspect - with on the floor mattresses, its hardly a surprise that basic breakfast essentials have also been omitted.

We're so taken with our holiday accommodation that we've decided to book a holiday during our holiday - 2 nights in a hotel.

The area also deserves special mention. Our taxi driver warned us "don't go out here at night - safer to stay inside or call for taxis after dark."

Having lived in Salford in Manchester I'm pretty comfortable with challenging neighbourhoods - but this area is up there with the seediest I've experienced. Described by the host as bohemian (which I shows some real creative inspiration) it is simply run down, rough and nasty. I was offered drugs by 4 people on the short walk from the apartment to the nearest supermarket.

Staying in is fine though, as we can sit in front of the broken TV on the broken 'cinema seats' or sing along to the loud reggae music.

Finally, I'd like to comment on the host's communication. I was almost forced to cancel the booking with only 4 days to go before travelling as he was too busy to respond to any form of message. He did eventually respond, which is a shame because I'm now lay in a grubby futon listening to reggae and telling my kids that everything will be OK. The noisy people will soon go home and tomorrow we can go somewhere nice instead.

Seriously. If you want a holiday in Rome for a family (even if you're adventurous) you should look elsewhere.

As a footnote, I can’t fault Pauli, the host’s local contact. Helpful, friendly and a genuinely nice guy who gave us a lift back to the airport and did his best to make us feel comfortable.