Elegant Apartment Behind the Colosseum

The balcony

The smell of smoke in the apartment - it was not an "expensive" place for one night in tourist season, but you only ever get (slightly less than) what you pay for so we did not have high expectations. The payment of the city tax of Euro 6 has become a problem though - they will only accept instant transfer and I'm old - I just don't do that stuff. And I don't do payments by phone after having once had my phone stolen and accounts cloned. I really hate remote check-ins - I had to sit staring at a phone waiting for responses to text messages - really distracting - I just wanted to be told where to collect keys and how to get in; we couldn't access the apartment on the day we were supposed to check in (not the fault of the property) as the road was closed for a cycle race until really late in the evening - communications were tiresome and eventually spending Euro5.99 in bank fees and Euro6.89 in commission (plus a dreadful exchange rate) so I could take out 100 Euro to pay 6 Euro for the city tax, the host refused to come and collect it. So not sure how that can pan out, I just got a sense of them not really understanding this is a working holiday for me and so far I have spent 3 hours of my waking time trying to log onto payment apps, finding an ATM and messaging them.

Property's close vicinity to the landmark attractions. Most were in walking distance which was a plus and helped us to save money.

"Washcloths" weren't provided. I now understand that Europeans don't use washcloths, but it would be an added bonus if they were provided to guests who are visiting from other countries that Do use them. Would make the property feel a little more like "home".

The location is perfect, everything is in walking distance and it felt very safe. Having access to the terrace was great. Good sized apartment and the air-conditioning much appreciated on hot days. Lovely towels and great communication via WhatsApp with the reception. Very good Wi-Fi signal too.

There was open food left in the fridge and the dishwasher was full of dirty dishes. The sofa-bed wasn't the comfiest and all the pillows provided were very thin. The water pressure in the shower was very low and there was no hot water on a couple of evenings.

It is very centrally situated and within walking distance of many interesting places and sites, shops etc. It was also quiet at night. The lady we dealt with was very friendly and helpful, and did respond very quickly on whatsapp when we were trying to sort out our access problems.

Getting in was a headache as you had to use an app for which you had to be online, and we didnt have an Italian simcard. So we had to message the owner to open the door to the flats, and then the apartment remotely, by using the wifi of a restaurant nearby, but it was very stressful wondering if you would get to the door in time, or if they would see your message. From the photos we were expecting an airy, quite smart flat, and the reality was nothing like that. The flat was cleanish but there were some areas which we felt were a bit icky - e.g. the pot we used had to be washed before use, the bathroom was not sparkling, there were coffee pods but no tea bags, or milk, and only a few packets of sugar clearly pilfered from restaurants. Things like the 'cleaning utensils' advertised was some dishwashing liquid and a tiny cloth. No sponge or drying towels. The kitchen was so tiny and packed there was little space for the washed dishes - no drying rack. Limited kitchenware. There was only one thin pillow each, the bathroom was really small, and all in all the flat was rather poky. We paid more for one night there than for two nights in a hotel in Pompei - and the latter included breakfast. All in all it was a big let down. The block of flats was elegant, but not so the interior. However the lady we dealt with couldn't have been pleasanter, and she let us leave our luggage, and arranged an airport shuttle. So the service was great - not her fault we didn't have working sim cards or roaming - but the flat itself a big disappointment. Really very different to the impressions created by the photos - most of which are of a much bigger and lighter, better furnished and quite luxury-looking accommodation.