I initially made this reservation under the profile Anastasia & Alberto and was growing concerned when they were unresponsive to my questions and requests for changes on the reservation. One week before arrival, I thought I would not have a place to stay, but they finally reached out and said they were busy with work and partnered with a new host who would be better able to assist their guests. They told me to rebook under Natalia & Alberto’s profile and I will say they were very responsive and accommodating. Refund for the original booking came swiftly and they honored my rate.
Pros: Location is 5 out of 5. Next to the unit is a delicious gelateria, a cafe for early morning coffee, and across the street is a grocery store. It’s a 3 minute walk to Duomo and many delicious restaurants. 13 minute walk to Mercato Centrale and Train Station. The taxis went on strike and we had to haul our luggage to the station. They were kind enough to let us check into one of the units early and check out a little later since we had to make 2 trips on foot to the station with our luggage. I also appreciated that the pantry was stocked and we had all the necessities including a microwave, washer and dryer. Most units in Italy do not have both. However, the dryer is very loud (we thought it was broken at first) and the washer does not drain well. We used the drying rack that was provided for additional drying.
Cons: In Unit A, there is no air conditioning upstairs. When I addressed this, they did deliver a fan same day. But the upstairs air conditioning in Unit C was not strong enough and felt more like a fan despite changing the AC settings to powerful mode and adjusting to the lowest temperature. There is no internet in Unit C. The modem is in the A unit and the signal does not reach Unit C. The upstairs shower in Unit A is unusable. Because of faulty design, there is a gap in the shower door that causes water to flood onto the floor. I reported this and they delivered extra towels for the flooding. Also, when turning on the stove in Unit A, the power cuts out and the fuse has to be restarted. This only happened once as far as I’m aware in Unit A. We did not use the stove in Unit C. Finally, the single sofa bed is extremely uncomfortable. We sat down and immediately folded it back up because the mattress felt like lying down directly on metal springs. My brother ended up sleeping on the couch which was comfortable enough.
I listed all of the above for transparency, but still rate the unit highly. The units are functional for short term guests who are spry, but I would not recommend if traveling with less able bodied senior citizens. The steps are very narrow and steep and there’s no hand railing for the spiral staircases. Even as 30-somethings, we were very cautious on the stairs as you could easily slip with socks on or slippers. For cleanliness, amenities, location, and responsiveness, I give them a 5. But there are several issues with the units themselves that may be uncomfortable for travelers with accessibility issues and those accustomed to everything being perfect. Overall rating would be a 4 out of 5. Having 2 units was really great for a larger party. 2 fridges. 2 kitchens. 2 bathrooms each unit. However only 1 functioning shower per unit. If what you care about it location, then this is the place to be. But make sure you have cellular reception in Unit C as there’s no wifi there.