We had a pretty comfortable stay overall. Hosts were Natalie and Immran's Mother. They were very friendly, approachable and responded swiftly to all our queries. They showed us personally to all the facilities in the apartment and warned us about the potential issues that we might face and explained how to troubleshoot them.
Pros:
- Superb location (just beside Santa Maria train station, about 5-10 mins walk, convenient stores located downstairs, 10-15 mins walking distance to the duomo, 20 mins to the old canal)
- authentic Italian house with character and charm
- comfortable stay (2 bedrooms with 2 toilets)
- washing machine available with detergent provided
- Imran's Mother bought us some fruits. Very hospitable lady
-toilets and bedrooms were quite clean
- toiletries, hair dryer and iron were also provided
Cons:
- not for those with mobility issues/ heavy luggages as the building has no elevator and we had to carry our suitcases about 4 storeys up (narrow staircases).
- there are more staircases in the apartment as the rooms are on the second and third level in the apartment.
- the electricity generator cannot function with 3 electrical appliances operating simultaneously. For instance, we cannot use the hair dryer, washer and AC at the same time as the electricity will trip. We had 4 of us hence we had to take turns and wait which could be quite tiring after a long day.
- Difficult to open the main door of the building as the key did not fit well (apparently you had to find the "feel"). Had to try several times before it clicks and this was quite a hassle.
- no proper hanging area for laundry(no dryer was provided). Nat suggested the attic but it was too dusty to hang any laundry.
Overall, other than these few glitches, it was still a comfortable and convenient stay! Location was really perfect!