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> SlowTrav > Italy > Vacation Rentals > Reviews > Florence Review 716: Doorways, Vasari Apartment
1bed/1bath in Oltrarno, Florence WhenOctober 2-9, 2003, originally, 2 weeks LocationI was a little put off by the entrance. It was across the street from the Ponte Vecchio, on Via dei Bardi, next to the adult cinema. The doorway and halls were dimly lit. There was a door, next to the elevator, with a staircase down to a basement that was always left open and it almost seemed as though there was someone lurking down there. Once, I got to my floor, however, it was a little nicer. The apartment had nice furnishings and a terrace. The area was very convenient, but a little too busy for me (noisy too) Nearby AmenitiesThere was a cafe right downstairs and a small grocery store, right there also. It was across the street from the Ponte Vecchio, so there were many options. The House/ApartmentThe apartment was not historical. It was built some time after World War 2, as all the buildings in this spot were bombed during the war. The walls were very thin. You could hear everyone's televisions, at night. There were 5 floors and 2-3 apartments on each floor. The entrance was dark, and the halls were dirty. GardenThere was a terrace off the kitchen and living room. It overlooked the Vasari Corridor ... you could actually touch it. It was extrememly noisy, though, so I spent little time there. Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living AreasThe furniture was fine. I had no complaints. It was a small apartment, but appeared to be clean. Bedrooms/BathroomsThe bed was fairly comfortable. It was a noisy corner, but there were triple windows in the bedroom. The bathroom was another story. It was very narrow and difficult to negotiate. Another unfortunate thing was the fact that there was no hot water for the first 4 days. The owner finally came and turned it up, but two people could not pass each other in this bathroom. KitchenThe kitchen was small and the mocha machine was missing the gasket. There were a few utensils, but I didn't feel as though I could really cook a meal. Problems or BonusesThere was no hot water for the first 4 days. They started construction on the building 4 days after I got there. The noise was deafening and the dust was polluting. There was no way I could spend any time, at all, in this apartment. The walls were paper thin, and I could hear the neighbors, on the next floor, sneeze! Agency and Representatives (and price)When booking the apartment, they were very nice. With all the problems I was having with the apartment, they, at first said that they would refund my money. They said that they would be happy to place me in another apartment that they had available, but none of their suggestions were "in town", so I opted for the refund. I finally found another place, but it was a huge hassle to move in the middle of my vacation. When arriving home, they just refunded the money from the time period that I left. At that point, there really wasn't anything I could do. I felt it was wrong of them to say they would give me a total refund, and then change their minds. Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?I would not recommend this apartment to my best friend. Things to do in this areaThe Pitti Palace was right down the street and the Ponte Vecchio was across the street. It is basically in the center of town. The cafe downstairs (on the corner) had very good coffee. My favorite restaurants would be Il Latini, Osteria del Porcellina (behind the straw market, where the Porcellina statue is), Buca San Giovani (Duomo Square), La Giostra. This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com. |
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Not Recommended
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