Alessandro a San Pietro Best Bed

We ended up stranded in the streets of Rome with our luggage and two children, after trying several fully booked hotels. Thankfully, one good hotel eventually had space and took us in, and we’re truly grateful to them. We’d booked this accommodation through booking.com for two adults and two children. It had been recommended by the site, but the male owner never contacted us beforehand to confirm the booking. If he had checked with us, the issue could have been sorted out before we arrived. When we got to the apartment building, he didn’t answer the door. On the phone he argued with us and wouldn’t listen to our side. He seemed to be under the influence of drink and drugs, and even a neighbour walking by got the impression something was wrong and said he was bad news.

We had a confirmed booking and arrived at 7 PM, only to be told the shower was broken and we couldn’t stay. There’d been no warning, message, or cancellation through Booking. When I called, the owner told me, “It’s my decision, contact Booking yourself.” The shower problem was apparently known ahead of time, but he waited until we were there to say anything. That left a woman alone on Rome’s streets in the evening with luggage, trying to find emergency accommodation. Sending a message or cancelling would have taken a minute. The lack of responsibility and basic human decency was shocking, and this kind of negligence and unprofessionalism is unacceptable for an accommodation provider. Book at your own risk.

The strangest part of my stay was the argument over the €7 city tax. At check-in, the owner explained things over the phone and I found his speech hard to follow, so I thought I’d caught the important details. The next day he messaged me on whatsapp asking where the tax was. I hadn’t realised I was meant to leave it, though it was also shown in the booking app, so that was my mistake. I apologised and offered to pay by paypal or iban, but he said it had to be cash. He told me not to pay then, but to remember this when writing a review. I didn’t want any deal like that, so I offered to come back and pay cash. Then he stopped responding. I went back and called to say I was ready to pay. He shouted, accused me of trying to cheat him, and said I should remember this “discount.” He said that if I left a negative review, he’d go to Germany and find me. I could barely get a word in. It took more messages, including with booking support, before I finally paid the tax the next day to another administrator of the apartment. Earlier, I’d had another privacy issue. At 9:40, just after my shower, I was standing naked in the middle of the room when someone knocked. Checkout was at 11. I answered, but apparently wasn’t heard. After another knock, the apartment administrator unlocked my door with his own key and came in. I don’t mind other men seeing me naked, but it rather defeats the point of privacy. The apartment was poor, and the sink was full of hair. Sleeping past 7:30 was impossible because something behind the very thin wall sounded almost like explosions every few minutes. Without those problems, this might have been a 6-7 star review.

The man was rude and arrogant, and there were no toiletries or iron, despite what the website said. We’d paid upfront and told him our flight was delayed, so we’d arrive late. He said that was fine. But when we got there at 12:07pm, he said it was after midnight and refused to come open the door, telling us we could sleep on the street. When I argued, he threatened to call the police. By some miracle we got buzzed in and made it to our room. NEVER STAY HERE.