Balestra Palace Apartment

We were met by David, he was lovely. Very helpful and gave clear instructions about the apartment, access, restaurants and sites nearby. It was so easy to walk to all the major sights - Great location. A few stairs to tackle but not an issue.

Nothing really to complain about.

Spacious two bedrooms and a living room/kitchen. 5 of minutes of walking to Trevi. Many restaurants close by, even some that is attended by locals. AC in each room and living room. Walking distance to many attractions.

Really nothing

(1) Location was great - convenient and close to everything. (2) On-site laundry was helpful. (3) Daily cleaning included making beds, etc. so that was nice. (4) Spacious property especially for a family of 3-4. (5) WiFi worked well.

(1) The AC thermostat had overrides so it never cooled below 21-22C. So it was always warm. (2) The couches in the living room were very old and uncomfortable. (3) Once we reached the property, we had to wait 20-30 minutes for the host to arrive. He was unreachable as he had no signal on his phone (attending to another guest at another property). We had no clue what was going on and it was very stressful as we had just arrived in Rome from the US.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay, and the location was truly the highlight. The apartment is within walking distance of Rome’s most iconic historical sites, excellent restaurants, and great shopping, making it an ideal home base for exploring the city. Upon arrival, which was about an hour after the listed check in time, the cleaning staff was still finishing up, and the apartment was extremely hot. During our visit, temperatures were consistently between 95 and 97 degrees, so we were looking forward to cooling off after a long day of travel. We were greeted by David, who was friendly, helpful, and responsive throughout our stay. He explained that the air conditioning would automatically turn off when we left the apartment, which seemed understandable. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that the air conditioning was not functioning properly. The units would repeatedly shut off and could only be restarted by resetting the breaker. After spending a full day sightseeing in the summer heat, returning to a hot apartment was disappointing. We also reported a clogged bathroom sink, a broken toilet seat, and a broken shower head. To their credit, management responded promptly. David returned the following day to repair the bathroom issues, and an AC technician was brought in to assess the cooling system. While the air conditioning improved slightly, the problem was never fully resolved. Throughout our stay, we continued waking up during the night to reset the breaker just to maintain some airflow. We also noticed signs of water damage in the front bedroom, which may be beyond management’s control but is something the owner should consider addressing. Despite these issues, the management team genuinely tried to make our stay as comfortable as possible and was responsive whenever we reached out. With its unbeatable location, this property has a lot of potential.