Abid'S Palace In Termini

I've never stayed anywhere worse. It's an apartment split into separate rooms, and I didn't feel it was safe. The smell of cigarette smoke was so strong that it got into everything. When I tried the air conditioner, a disgusting smell came out, so I had to switch it off straight away. After the room had been cleaned and handed over, someone sprayed perfume to cover the odor. At first I thought the smell was gone and the room was clean, and I even thanked the woman who helped us. But by evening, once the perfume wore off, the horrible cigarette smell came back. Then the toilet smell started coming through the sliding door at night. Opening the window brought in noise and flies, but with it closed, the smell was hard to bear. Please only stay here as a last resort. I don't usually leave comments, but I don't want anyone else like me to end up suffering through this.

The room had a lot going for it: it was spacious, with a queen-sized bed and an extra small bed, a small fridge, a good-sized bathroom, and good Wi-Fi. Both the room and the outside kitchen area were very clean, and the bathroom was neat too. The bed was comfortable. It's only a six-minute walk from Roma Termini, and the neighborhood has affordable prices and one of the important churches. Getting there was awkward. Google Maps' pin was a little off, so I called on WhatsApp. They said, "One moment," then hung up. I stood outside with my large hiking bag for five minutes before messaging. They told me to press the intercom, but when I sent a photo that didn't show their name, they replied, "Wrong place," and gave me the right building number, 29. Once inside, I had to ask again which floor. There was also a language barrier. Since this is a place in Rome listed on Booking for tourists, I think the owners should be able to speak a common language like English. They weren't Italian, but their English was limited. I can see how that might come across as rudeness or toughness with tourists, as other reviews mention. Even a smile while communicating could have made the small issues easier. When I reached the first floor, the man I'd been messaging said the room wasn't ready and asked me to come back in an hour. I'd already told them on Booking I'd arrive around 12 or 1 PM, so this led to a discussion with another woman about which room I'd be given. The room was cold when I arrived. I come from a very warm part of the Middle East, so a little chill wasn't a big deal, especially since it was colder than Rome in the north of Italy at that time of year. But the ceramic floor made the room feel even colder. I looked for a heater, but the old one didn't work. The air conditioner could also heat the room, though its handwritten remote instructions said, "Don't use over 25 C." I couldn't tell whether that meant 25 C for cooling or heating. The first night I was freezing, even with it set to 25 C. The next day I raised it to 27 C, and the warm setting finally started working, making the room much warmer. It was confusing to be told not to go above 25 C when the heat wouldn't start until I chose a warmer setting. I'm allergic to dust too, and the air conditioner seemed like it needed cleaning. The windows had sealed layers that helped block outside noise, but the room door wasn't soundproof, so sounds from outside carried in. Still, it was very calm at night. One other thing happened while I was napping: two men suddenly opened my unlocked door, turned on the lights, and found me asleep. I usually expect people to knock before coming in. When I challenged them, they argued that I should have locked the door. They hesitated to leave when I asked and didn't apologize. I reported it to Booking, and the owners said they'd entered to clean the room. This place has great potential, but the owners need to rethink how they deal with tourists. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The neighborhood felt terrifying and shady. My sunglasses were stolen from my back pocket just two minutes after we arrived. We felt extremely unsafe and couldn't sleep. It's also far from the attractions and historic center, with no good supermarkets nearby. On arrival, nobody answered the doorbell or the number on the website. After a long time trying to reach someone by message and bell, a couple from the building passed by. They said the same thing had happened to them and shared another number they'd been given earlier. When we called it, a rude man finally answered and shouted, "2 minutes." Another very impolite man eventually came to open the doors. He had no manners, didn't speak English, Italian, or any language we could understand, and kept yelling instead of listening or trying to understand us. The place wasn't a hostel or guesthouse in proper condition for visitors. It was a tiny apartment with three bedrooms for separate groups, and no kitchen, living room, or common areas. The building was dirty and our room was disgusting. There was dirt, hair, and even used tissue paper under the beds. The bathroom walls were gross, and the fridge held leftover food from previous guests, open and in horrible condition. The bed linen had yellow stains, as if people had been sleeping on it for years without washing it. Dust on the pillows made our noses stuffy, and the closed-off room was hard to breathe in. There was one fan for three beds in different parts of the room. Turning it on blew dirt around and made us even more uncomfortable, to the point of feeling ill. It was extremely hot, the air conditioning didn't work, and the shower gave only a little water. The soap bottle said Dove, but the liquid inside was a strange, sticky red goo. Everything was gross, and the Wi-Fi was terrible. Our balcony had no protective bars, although the other apartments had them. Someone also entered our room while we were out, not to clean, but just to pull the covers back and move our things around.

The owner was lovely and even waited for us until 23:30H when we arrived. We loved the place, and the bed was really comfortable. Colosseo is only a 10-15 minute walk away. Amazing.