Giorgi Design Homes I

It was a really good fit for us, especially for the price. The apartment was clean and fairly spacious, everything worked, and the bathroom was nice. It’s just outside the central station, so getting in and planning trips was easy. The communication was quick and simple, too. Right outside the apartment door there’s a little spot where you can smoke or have tea.

Our stay at "Giorgi Homes by Wonderful Italy" in Bologna was a letdown. The apartment looks good in the pictures, but this was the first really bad one we’ve had on our travels. Wonderful Italy’s service was probably the worst apartment management we’ve dealt with as well. The location is very close to the station, though the area isn’t especially nice. The apartment is spacious with plenty of cupboards, and the bed, shower, bath, fridge freezer and washing machine were all good. There was a luggage room, but three of its five lockers used exactly the same key, so it didn’t feel very secure. The apartment downstairs was being renovated. Work sometimes started early, and the noise came up into our flat. Dust was all over the stairwell and got into our apartment too, including onto our clothes and especially our socks. Wonderful Italy denied responsibility and said they didn’t know about the work, even though it had been going on for months and seemed likely to continue for months more. Cooking was difficult with just two frying pans and one battered pot. The grimy kettle also had to be used on the hob. There’s a small, weak microwave, an oven we didn’t use, and a gas hob that badly needs cleaning. Ants were everywhere in the kitchen, on the cooker, clean plates and in the sink, hundreds each morning despite our careful cleaning. There were some in the bedroom too, though the floor pattern made them hard to spot. The air conditioning is only in the hallway and couldn’t keep up with the hot weather. The toilet wasn’t very clean, with a black mark around the water and running down from under the rim. When my daughter turned on the smart TV, it showed a previous guest watching a highly explicit gay threesome video. The place needs repairs. Chairs wobble, door locks are coming apart, and both my daughter and I separately got stuck in the bathroom. She hadn’t even locked the door. When I reported problems, the replies from Wonderful Italy felt copied and pasted. They repeatedly promised to fix things but didn’t. We eventually got ant traps, but only after three requests over four days. They asked us to leave the bathroom door open while using it until someone fixed it, but nobody came. We also asked for new batteries for the aircon remote. They said some had been left, but they hadn’t.

After two days in a tiny Florence hotel room that cost twice as much, this place felt like a five-star hotel for a really affordable price. It’s very clean, spacious and nice, close to everything and a minute’s walk from the station. I arrived early and they let me check in at 1:45. What more could I ask for? I was lucky to get the reservation.

I came back soaked after a cold, rainy day and couldn’t get hot water for a shower at 8 pm. It didn’t return until the next day, which was awful. Staff had finished work at 7, and there was no one to contact about what to do. The toilet seat isn’t secured and shifts when you sit on it. The flimsy drying rack falls over if you touch it, and the kettle was so dirty I didn’t dare use it.