Charming Attic Niche

We had an awful experience in June 23, so I’d strongly advise against booking this apartment. We couldn’t check in at 3pm because cleaning hadn’t been finished. After repeatedly texting host Matteo, we were still waiting at 5pm. First we were told there was no electricity, then that an electrician was coming, and then that the part needed to restore power wouldn’t arrive until the next day. We had a pizza-making class booked for 5pm and missed it, losing $500 au out of pocket. Since the apartment had no power, Matteo offered us a room at ‘Condotta 3 Rooms’, a 12-minute walk away through pouring rain. It was more like a backpackers lodge, with a shared bathroom and kitchen, and nothing like the accommodation we’d booked. My parents and I would never have chosen a place like that. The next morning we tried to drop our bags at the actual apartment, ‘Santa Maria Novella’, at around 9am, but were told we couldn’t come until 11am. We had to leave ‘Condotta 3 Rooms’ by 10am, so we were stuck with our luggage and nowhere to go. We’d already wasted so much time in Florence. Matteo wasn’t apologetic and offered no compensation. He wouldn’t refund our deposit either, and falsely said he had. I kept following up, then he stopped responding. I had to complain through booking.com to get the deposit back, which took three months. Given what happened, he should have returned our money and compensated us for at least part of the total amount. I’d recommend avoiding this apartment and booking somewhere with star ratings on booking.com. Other reviews of Condotta Lodge describe similar experiences, especially with Matteo keeping guests’ money and not returning deposits. I don’t usually write bad reviews, but I want people to know what happened and be cautious about booking self-rated apartments.