La Chiocciola

The rooms were a 5, but getting an invoice is still a problem. After booking on booking.com, we arrived at the address and found nobody there, with no sign or instructions. We nearly went to another hotel before I called and they explained what to do. The location on a small street was fine. I had a 2.5 m high van, so parking was tricky, but I managed.

The apartments are lovely, and getting there was convenient. Check-in and check-out were easy. Cleanliness was so-so, though, and a couple of things didn't work: the induction hob was broken, and the microwave ran without heating anything. The kettle worked, so we warmed baby bottles in a bain-marie. That was enough for us, but if we'd needed to cook for the kids, we couldn't have.

It's centrally located, with a courtyard and private parking, and the apartment has plenty of potential. But the sticky table and chairs and bad smell throughout made it uncomfortable for us. We found brown stains on the towels and reported them right away, but nothing changed and nobody paid attention. A satisfied customer takes effort, and that effort was missing here.

The guys running the place were so kind and helpful, and the self check-in was a clever setup that let us handle both arrival and departure on our own. We could bring our pets, and the internal parking felt safe from thieves and the like. I loved the two days there. Apartment 5 had a charming African look, with lovely ethnic lights, a roomy closet and small safe, and a comfortable futon-style bed. The bathroom had towels for everyone and the B&B's personalized paper toiletries, a very eco-friendly touch. The induction stove was easy to use, with two big, powerful burners, and we cooked for two days without any trouble. The table was great, with stools and a metal top for plants and pots. The kitchen tile colors were lovely, and the decorative hammock in the living room was stunning. The sofa was comfy too. We enjoyed the cool air from the balcony chairs in the evenings, though a little table out there for a couple of beers would be nice.