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> SlowTrav > Italy > Vacation Rentals > Reviews > Rome Review 3380: Rental in Rome, Palazzo Berardi Apartment
Studio apartment near the Pantheon, Rome WhenMarch 2007, 8 nights LocationThe location was excellent - only a few blocks from the Pantheon, on a beautiful, quiet street with a family-run charming restaurant across the street. Also was near the Largo di Torre Argentina bus depot, so was extremely convenient. The apartment faces the building's internal courtyard, so was pleasantly quiet. Nearby AmenitiesThis was very central, close to two grocery stores, a wine store, and zillions of restaurants and cafes. There was also a dry cleaner down the street that was excellent. The House/ApartmentThe building, Palazzo Berardi, is very lovely and historical. The water clock advertised on the apartment's page is indeed there, although was not functioning while we were there (it is not in the best repair). You can view the apartment directly: Palazzo Berardi Apartment. GardenThere was no outdoor seating area. Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living AreasThis apartment was a comfortable size for two people, and was clean enough. The furnishings were extremely bare. The desk isn't usable as a dining table, although there were two chairs. There is a small old TV, maybe 30 years old, which we never turned on. Bedrooms/BathroomsThe bed was comfortable. The closet was odd - it was on the top of a staircase to nowhere - but there were enough hangers to hang my stuff. The bathroom wasn't in great shape. The tub was marked up, and there was heavy water damage on the cabinet. The bathroom looks a lot better in the photos than in real life. There was no ironing board or hairdryer. I ended up buying a hairdryer, and sending clothing out to the very nice cleaner a few doors down to be ironed. KitchenIt would have been virtually impossible to prepare a meal in this kitchen. It was a cheap Ikea one-piece kitchen (visible in the photos) and was incredibly spare. There was one small pot, two cups, two plates, two juice glasses, some silverware, and a moka espresso pot. This is IT. No wine glasses, no salt and pepper, no oil ... just empty cabinets. There was no dish soap, hand soap, cleaning materials. Problems or BonusesBasically, this apartment is just a room, and it isn't much different than staying at a budget hotel - basically just a great location and a quiet room with a bed. While they say it is with TV and hi-fi, the TV, as mentioned was a tiny little portable thing and there was no hi-fi. The kitchen was not fully-equipped, as described on the site. Agency and Representatives (and price)My email correspondence with Sonja, the representative, was fine. She was very responsive and patient with all of my questions. The price was €690 for eight nights, which was very cheap. The woman who let us in did not speak English, and wasn't able to answer any questions - basically just gave us the key and took the cash payment. The agency arranged a driver for us to and from the airport, and the drivers were excellent and timely, and very very nice. My real complaint is that when we realized that this apartment was so ill-equipped and called the agency, the woman with whom I spoke was very snappy and told me in a very irritated voice that hairdryers, irons, and dish soap are just not standard in rental apartments in Rome. When I returned, I emailed Sonja, the original contact, that I was dissatisfied with the fact that the apartment is so poorly equipped. She did not respond. Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?I would recommend this apartment/agency with reservations. Their prices are incredible - it's really hard to beat them. The apartment was fine for us - we were planning on eating out a lot, so the fact that the kitchen was unusable didn't really matter in the end. The apartment was really cheap, clean enough, quiet, and in a nice location - it's just not for anyone who is planning on spending any real time in the apartment and certainly not for anyone who is hoping to cook. This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com. |
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