We have just come back from a fantastic stay at Laura's apartment in Monti. Laura's apartment is perfectly located for the exploration of Rome; especially if you want quick, early morning access to the Collesseum and Roman Ruins. Furthermore, Monti still portrays a classic sense of Italian community, with communal outdoor piazzas through to popular tavernas, osterias and pizzerias - many of which we tried thanks to Laura's recommendations. Whilst I always want to have an authentic experience I can never afford to miss the football or rugby, so if you can persuade your misses to let you out to watch the football, then there is a local Irish bar in the centre of Monti that shows all of it.

Laura is an exceptional and natural host. Upon arrival she immediately introduced herself and recommended the must see attractions and eateries to try in the neighbourhood - all of which were fantastic. Furthermore, she was proactive in organising our airport transfers and allowed us to keep our luggage in her apartment until our late flight out on Sunday, another helpful touch.

The apartment itself is perfect as long as you have no intention of cooking: which we didn't. It was clean, light and had plenty of space to move around without getting in each others way. However, the two big highlights of the apartment were the shower - which was amazing - and the balcony which was the perfect place to relax with a class of Italian red after a long day of beating the track.

All in all it was a fantastic experience and I would not hesitate to visit Laura's apartment again.