I struggled with how to rate this Airbnb. There were so many wonderful things about it, not least of all the incredible generosity with which our hosts communicated, arranging travel to and from the airport and advising us on luggage storage. The location is ideal, just a few blocks from the restaurants of Trastevere, and a five minute walk to the botanic garden.
On the other hand, we felt misled and found the apartment lacking in some basics that would have been more sorely missed if we’d stayed longer than 36 hours. There was a single roll of toilet paper, no shampoo or conditioner, and the kitchen is not equipped with basic cooking necessities like pots, pans, oil, or salt. I cleaned up someone’s dirty coffee cup when we arrived.
But the big drawback for us was that the listing shows a pull out couch in the living room made up as a bed, and many reviewers say they were more comfortable sleeping on the pullout. However, upon trying to set it up, we found it filthy, covered in hair and grime, with a dirty sock underneath. When I messaged the hosts to ask if there was a spare sheet we could use for it, they deflected that it was “unstable” and not intended for guests to stay on. This felt deceptive as the entire reason we booked this apartment was to have a separate sleeping area from our son to get over jetlag, a fact we’d also shared when we messaged them about booking. If you don’t intend for your guests to use something reviews mention, it should be explicitly called out in the description as unavailable—not advertised in photos.
I think a carefree couple in town for the weekend would have a wonderful stay at this Airbnb and find it a great value for the price. For us, it missed the mark.