We booked "Barberini Charming Attic" on Via di San Basilio with Rome Loft. At the time of booking, I did notice that there were no reviews for this property. The location is excellent: close to the metro, a supermarket & many bars & restaurants around Piazza Barberini.
Initial communications with Rome Loft were good & we were granted an early check-in. The lift takes you to the 3rd floor, then you pass through a non-secure door (courtesy of a smashed windowpane) & climb 40+ steps up a narrow staircase.
Our 1st problem was identifying the wifi network to join - you have a choice of about 25!! Then the toilet flush button jammed, followed by the AC ceasing to work. We managed to unjam the toilet flush button by removing the plate cover. Since there were only 2 of us, we put the extended sofa bed away so we could use the sofa - but there were no base cushions on which to sit. Also, we couldn't locate the drying rack for laundry. It was a challenge using the ensuite bathroom at night because we couldn't find the light switches. They can only be seen when you are sitting on the toilet!! There were a number of phone calls, text messages & emails to Rome Loft as we tried to sort all this out.
For the duration of our stay, to get the ACs working required turning the relevant switches off & on again in the fuse box. There were 2 ACs (bedroom & lounge) & only 1 remote control, so it would be difficult if the living room couch was in use & you needed to use both AC units at the same time. Sometimes a unit would work for 20-30 minutes; other times an hour or 2 then cut out. {I note a review on another booking platform refers to AC issues.}
A couple of days into our stay, the toilet flush jammed again. We had to stand on a chair to manually flush the cistern which was located up near the ceiling. The next day a plumber came out to rectify this problem. It was clear to us by the marks on the flush button that this had happened previously. A large part of our stay was taken up with all these issues & communicating with Rome Loft by various means.
Overall, this was a disappointing apartment. The charm in the listing photos is lacking in reality. Granted, it has 2 lovely terraces, but we felt they didn't make up for the rather awkward layout & the numerous problems we encountered. The bathroom is an ensuite off the main bedroom, so it wouldn't be ideal for more than a couple. The water for the shower is either boiling or freezing. The sitting room had a clumsy arrangement with the sofa jammed up against an external wall (with furniture on either side) - making it very difficult to open & close windows & curtains. Only some of the chairs fit under the dining table in the cramped dining room. Although there is a washing machine & dishwasher, no pods or powder were supplied for either appliance. There were very few kitchen supplies (tea/coffee). No instructions supplied for rubbish disposal.
Their T&Cs are strict. Some days after checkout, Rome Loft did refund us an amount equivalent to 1 night's stay. read more