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> SlowTrav > Italy > Vacation Rentals > Reviews > Florence Review 2136: In Italy, Florence Ciompi Apartments
apartments near Santa Croce, Florence WhenMay 22 - 29 2006, one week LocationThe 2bed/2bath apartment is located on Palazzo de Ciompi, three blocks from the Duomo. The location is nice, away from the main crowds, but not very far from the tourist sites. Nearby AmenitiesThere are many places accessible by foot. There is a great little grocery store just down the street. There are some restaurants around as well. The House/ApartmentThe building is in good shape. There are maybe 20 apartments in the building. We stayed in the apartment referred to as Lorenzo Il Magnifico. GardenOur apartment did not have a sitting area and there is no pool. Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living AreasThe apartment is very spacious and the views from the bedroom and master bathroom are spectacular. However, as you walk into the apartment, you are greeted by an ugly little sofa. It's orange and white and the upholstery is stained and dirty. This is the first thing that you see upon entering and it's not a very welcoming sight. This little ugly piece of furniture needs to go. Plus, we couldn't get it to unfold into a bed (we had trouble with a sofa bed in Rome, too, so perhaps it is just us). The living/dining room has a table and four chairs. So, for places to sit, you have the little ugly sofa or the four dinner table chairs. This is insufficient. I wound up sitting at the dinner table for the most part. Bedrooms/BathroomsThe master bedroom is very large and the views are spectacular. There is a clear view of the Duomo and all of the windows have great views. Likewise, the master bathroom is really nice. Everything was immaculate. The second bathroom (adjoining the second bedroom) is also nice. However, there is a very high window that we couldn't reach without a ladder and I think mosquitoes were coming in regularly. The second bedroom is pretty small and has a twin bed. KitchenWe cooked in the apartment a lot and the kitchen is really nice. There is a fridge, oven range and microwave. The cord for the microwave is short, so you have to move the microwave in order to use it. The microwave is on a cart, so it wasn't that big a deal. Everything was spotless in the kitchen and there were plenty of utensils. I liked the kitchen a lot. Problems or BonusesTwo major downsides to the apartment are the floors and the mosquitoes. The floors were very dirty. Not visibly dirty, but after walking on them for awhile, the soles of your feet would be black. I wore thongs while in the apartment and my wife and kids had to wear socks. I believe that the mosquito problem could have been remedied had the high window in the guest bathroom been closed. As it was not, the mosquitoes ate us alive every night. We all left the apartment with multiple bites. The last night there, I couldn't sleep at all as the mosquitoes were buzzing and biting constantly. A citronella candle was in order. Agency and Representatives (and price)In Italy was great. The onsite person, Karima, was very nice. However, she expected payment upon check-in, not check-out. She let me pay the next day, however. Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?Overall, the place wasn't bad, but we won't stay there again. For the price, maybe that type of accommodation is to be expected, but we'll look to stay in a place more nicely appointed next time. This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com. |
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