Aparthotel Navigli

The location was a plus, near the metro and the bars along the Navigli canal. The host, or owner, was polite but not especially welcoming. I’d come back in winter, but not in warmer weather. The room was large and modern, with a comfortable bed. The AC was disabled and there wasn’t a fan, which made sleeping difficult. Leaving the windows open helped, but from 5:30 am it got noisy and bright. The bathroom floor was extremely slippery when wet, and the shower is in a slippery bathtub. Although a bathtub is advertised, there’s no plug.

The stay was unpleasant, and I wouldn’t recommend this place. There’s no sign outside and no service desk, so even on the same street as Google Maps showed, we couldn’t find it until we asked nearby restaurants. The downstairs was noisy, and the thin walls let us hear doors shutting and people walking and talking outside. The AC didn’t work during either of our stays, despite us telling the owner Marco and his assistant. Towels aren’t changed if you stay fewer than three days. We had to carry three large keys with huge keychains, one for the room and two for the entrances. There was yellow material in the bathtub corner, though I couldn’t tell if it was mold or rust. Water spilled onto the floor when showering, making it very slippery, and with the towel policy there wasn’t much we could use to dry it. Water bottles were provided only on the first day.

The customer service was the worst part. I was on a business trip and needed an invoice with my company’s address. They gave me one without tax, and now it’s causing problems at work. When I asked for a corrected invoice, they said I should have requested one with VAT while I was there, and that after a month and a half it was too late to issue another. So customers are expected to know the Italian tax and invoice rules? I later found out that electronic invoices are mandatory in Italy, but they had only given me a handwritten sheet of paper. The hotel was okay, but nowhere near four stars, maybe one or two at most. Street noise was too much, so I changed rooms, but then I had loud neighbors above me. The windows seemed very insecure and easy to break into. Breakfast was at a cafe beside the hotel: coffee and a croissant, and I was lucky to get toast and orange juice. It was the same for two weeks.

Marco went out of his way to help my daughter and me after she enrolled at university in Milano. I’d come to stay at a hotel for a few days while looking for accommodation for her, and finding a place in another country was difficult. He personally helped us open a bank account for her at a local bank and spoke with friends about student accommodation. When we decided at the last moment to spend a weekend in Rome, he booked the train tickets and a hotel for us. He’s a very helpful host, and his hotel is sparkling clean. Everyone greets you with a smile and makes you feel at home. Whenever we visit our daughter, we’ll stay with Marco at his Aparthotel Navigli. Thank you, Marco.