Sweet Camilla

With our trip coming up in about a day and everything paid a month earlier, the owner suddenly added another 300€ to pay in Florence, calling it “taxes.” There was no explanation or calculation to support such a large amount. When we asked about it, the owner quickly canceled the booking and claimed we had canceled it ourselves. We were left in the heart of Florence without anywhere to sleep for a whole week.

The apartment is downtown in a restricted zone, and each time you enter it you pay a fine. Don't go there. At 20:00, after driving nine hours from abroad, we had nowhere to stay. The owner didn't come to open the door and then decided not to give us the apartment at all. He said we shouldn't have arrived after 18:00 because that was when he finished “working.” We hadn't been given a cell phone number, and the only number we had was for a private flat where nobody answered.

The hosts showed no concern or interest in helping after bedbugs bit us and caused an allergic reaction. I had over 70 bites. They also charged us 50 extra Euros just to open the door. Worst place ever.

We arrived in Rome after our flight from Florence was diverted because of bad weather, so we missed check-in at 6:00 PM. All afternoon and the next morning, we tried calling and emailing the owner, but got no answer outside the stated check-in hours of 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM. We had to pay for a night at another hotel. At 1:15 PM the next day, we spoke with someone who said she was the owner's secretary and arranged a check-in time. We went to the apartment and waited at the door for over an hour before the owner showed up. He then wanted an extra €300 for “taxes” that weren't in the reservation. When we asked why, he shrugged and walked away, saying he was canceling because we wouldn't pay. We were left without accommodation. The secretary didn't answer when we tried calling her afterward either. We contacted Booking.com. The owner told them he knew nothing about the situation. Our reservation now shows as “NO SHOW,” and the apartment is listed again. Booking.com said they couldn't do anything because it was a private agreement. If the owner cancels the reservation, the user loses their money and has no recourse. This is deplorable. DO NOT BOOK THIS APARTMENT. The owner is an unprincipled scammer. If I could give it a negative rating, I would.