Dreamy Guelfa by Mmega

It’s a cute little apartment in a good spot, but that’s about it. It’s on the third floor, which isn’t disclosed, up very steep, narrow concrete stairs. Getting into the building meant jiggling the key and hoping it worked. The apartment was stifling hot when we arrived, and the two air units couldn’t cool it enough. I asked the owner or manager about a refund because of the heat and was told, “it’s hot everywhere”. We left the units running while we went to dinner, but one had stopped working by the time we got back. When I reported that, management eventually answered with “please send video” instead of coming to check or fix it. The refrigerator didn’t work properly, and there were few kitchen or bathroom essentials. One bedroom is up a very steep staircase that’s hard to manage. We stayed one night and lost the money for the other two because they wouldn’t refund us. We’ve had five VRBO/AirBnBs on this trip and the rest were good. Look elsewhere!

The listing called this an “air conditioned apartment,” but when we arrived there was just one old, small fan. AC was mandatory for us. The company said it was a technical issue and that the previous guest had probably damaged the PORTABLE AC they had. Apparently, to them, an air-conditioned apartment means one portable AC machine. They offered to bring additional fans, but we couldn’t stay, so we found a last-minute hotel and asked for a refund. They offered only 20%, which was ridiculous. The place is on the third floor, though that wasn’t mentioned, and the stairs are awful. It also looks old now and no longer like the photos. Please don’t be taken in by their response. In my view, this company advertises falsely and doesn’t play fair. Florence has plenty of better options, so you can avoid the frustration and stress we went through.

The location was the only good thing about this apartment. I stayed five nights, and it was a huge mistake. It was far too hot, with a tiny, old AC unit that barely did anything. The apartment looked much more charming in the pictures, wasn’t clean at all, and smelled like sewers around the clock. Communication and service were poor too. I tried not to complain, but the heat got to us; when I asked for help, the reply came days later and didn’t solve anything.

The only thing going for this place is how close it is to the railway station. It’s on the third floor with no lift, and the stairs are steep, so bringing luggage is a nightmare. Before arrival, nobody answered our messages. There was no one to contact when we arrived a little early, and we had to wait two hours because they wouldn’t even share a phone number. Then, after the scheduled 14:00 check-in time, someone began cleaning, so we waited another hour. Both the main door lock and the ground-floor door lock worked badly. Even after calling many times, we got no help, just a cold reply saying we had to keep trying until they opened. It was embarrassing to wait out on the street with my family. My wife was afraid to go out in case we couldn’t get back in and were left outside. The person who came to check us in didn’t seem to know the apartment well and was in a hurry to leave. It was a terrible experience, and I’d warn others before choosing this property.