Florence Fortezza Apartment

Very nice property at the limit of the central Florence. All major sites at walking distance.

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Buena ubicación. El departamento es espacioso y la habitación principal muy cómoda. Tiene 3 aires acondicionados, que para la casa está bien aunque algunas noches los tuvimos que bajar demasiado por el calor.

La habitación de arriba. Para subir, nosotros jóvenes podíamos sin problema, pero para alguien mayor o con dificultades sería un gran problema. El techo muy bajo, alguien alto no entra. El colchón de la habitación de arriba muy incómodo, se hundía, no dormimos muy bien. Para entrar al baño de arriba había que agacharse y no tenía ducha ni puerta. Se cerraba con una cortina. A la cocina le faltaban algunos utensilios básicos, cómo tabla para cortar, alguna cuchilla de buen tamaño, rallador de queso, entre otras cosas. Una parte del cielorraso se esta cayendo y había escombros sobre el aire acondicionado. Demasiado dejado el piso, estaría bueno que le hagan una refacción.

Location: close to major bus stops, quiet area. Huge apartment: two bedrooms and three living areas each with its own sofa bed. Big kitchen that is well stocked with utensils, dishes and pots/pans. Big fridge, washer/dryer combo. Tall ceilings downstairs. WiFi strong in downstairs living room. Nice host who was always available. Easy access: you call a WhatsApp number that automatically opens the portone (outside door to building) and there’s a lockbox that you can store the keys for the inside apartment door. My buddy and I could just leave the key in the lockbox, negating the need to be there to let the other one inside.

Could’ve had a few more condiments: no sugar, no paper towels or napkins, only enough coffee for one cup when we arrived. At least there was salt, vinegar, cleaning liquids, and two rolls of toilet paper. And a little bit of body soap. None of this is serious since renting an apartment implies buying some of your own supplies. WiFi was weak or nonexistent everywhere except the downstairs living room. It’s an old property with thick walls so that’s not unusual, just be aware of it before booking. Mosquitoes. Some AC units that probably need a filter change. Could’ve been a bit colder but fortunately Florence cooled down the second day. Tiny shower but great otherwise. My friend and I are 173cm (5’8”) and slim to average Italian size and we had to squeeze to get into the shower. However once in there the water pressure was strong and hot.

The apartment has an excellent location, just a few steps away from several attractions. The host is very polite, attentive, and helpful. The apartment was clean and even had a welcome gift.

Unfortunately, the ceiling in the upstairs bedroom is very low — if you’re taller than 1.80m, you’ll need to walk bent over to avoid hitting your head. Although the apartment was rented for four people, the welcome gift was only for one couple, and while they do provide some basics like milk and coffee, it’s only enough for two people. There was also soap, but only for one day, even though we stayed for the whole week. The apartment has three air conditioners, but they are programmed not to go below 24°C (likely to save energy). For us, 24°C is quite warm, and the host advised us to open the window — which filled the apartment with mosquitoes. Sleeping with the window open wasn’t an option since the apartment is on the ground floor. The host said he would try to find someone to check the air conditioning, but he couldn’t. As I told him, the unit wasn’t broken, just set not to go below 24°C. Although the host was very attentive and kind, he offered an extremely low compensation for a week-long stay and didn’t even provide half a night’s refund as compensation. So, while the property has great potential, there are several aspects that need improvement. Lastly, one person in our group definitely left an electric toothbrush charger in the apartment, but we were told it wasn’t found — which left me a bit disappointed with the lack of honesty or reliability from the cleaning company.