alla locanda Malandra

Unprofessional is the one word I’d use for this experience. They said they had tried to contact me on WhatsApp to fill out forms, but I only learned that after calling because I’d arrived and nobody was there. The form asked for sensitive details like my passport number and address. I was expected to send that to some random number that had messaged me? That’s because this is an unstaffed group apartment, not a hotel. You also need to plan around check-in at 3pm and check-out at 10:30am. There’s no proper place to leave bags or lobby restroom to get situated. If you want to get off a nine hour flight at eight am and carry your luggage around until three, or deal with a luggage storage company, this might suit you. The keys were another headache. They’re electronic and accessed through a confusing email link, which you have to find again each time you need to unlock the building door, the apartment door, and the room door. The building also has a physical key, and the room door doesn’t work electronically, so you need to enter a ten digit code every time. It’s not relaxing to worry about your phone dying or needing reliable international data while on vacation. Then there were the repeated cash requests, which felt borderline harassing. I booked and paid with an American Express card, which they accepted. When I arrived, I was told I could pay the city tax by card and give them the same card. After that, calls and emails started asking me to hand cash to random people in the apartment, or leave cash in the room and send a picture of it. I didn’t know the people I was emailing, the place wasn’t staffed, and I had no way to know how the cash would be processed or whether I’d be asked again. One manager said their card processing was down. I wasn’t sure why that should be my problem, and the calls and emails kept coming while I was on vacation. The next day, they asked me to use a card other than American Express or pay cash. I couldn’t tell whether the card system was actually down or whether they wanted the tax paid under the table. We eventually settled on a bank transfer so there’d be some kind of paper trail, but only after they’d insisted on cash at least five times. The next day, while the man I’d been asked to hand cash to was sitting in the kitchen, another person tried to check in and rang the buzzer for several minutes without anyone answering. I spent most of my time in Rome dealing with calls and emails from management because of their poor communication and lack of professionalism.

My week-long stay at Alla Locanda Malandra was perfect. It had everything my family needed for a trip abroad: a central location, plenty of space, cleanliness, and good upkeep. I can’t recommend the place highly enough.

We arrived in the evening and were told the accommodation was full. The host offered somewhere else and said things would be sorted the next day. We had to leave our original place at 10 o'clock, ate breakfast there, and kept our backpacks until the afternoon, when we were meant to move to a different, better room in another hotel. But when we arrived, that room wasn’t available either, and they offered us another alternative in a 1* hotel. I accepted, and we agreed on a discount, which partly helped, but the whole situation spoiled the impression of our holiday. I don’t understand how this can happen at such a well-rated accommodation. I’m sorry to have to write this, but it didn’t feel right to book far in advance and only find out on arrival that they were full. Maybe that wasn’t intentional. Please take this as feedback to improve the service. Goodbye :)

The apartment and room were beautifully clean, the AC was great, and the host was good fun. But my girlfriend has dietary problems, and we booked specifically because the listing showed a kitchenette in the common area. The host confirmed we could use the kitchen. At check-in, he showed us the hob and how it worked, the sink, microwave, pots and pans, dishwasher, and various plates and cutlery. In the UK, and anywhere normal, that would usually mean you’re allowed to cook. On our second night we quietly made pasta, and he burst in asking why we were cooking. It killed the mood and left us both on edge. He eventually went, then came back at the end of the meal, so we hurried to finish eating and wash up in silence while he watched. That’s the kind of thing I’d expect in a prison camp or a strange distant family member’s house, not something I paid £195 for as a grown adult with my lovely new girlfriend in Rome. Breakfast was laid out nicely in the mornings, with beautiful pastries, and the host made coffee. But then he’d sit awkwardly in the corner of the room, in “his office,” sort of watching while also making sure we had what we needed. He was attentive and a great guy, but privacy was tough. In our room he’d sit on a chair literally on the other side of the door, and we kept feeling listened to. It was a massive c*ckblock, made us awkward, and made it hard to relax. He was annoyed about us using the kitchen, yet at 10:45am on the first day his whole family, kids, Middle Aged people, and old people, were gathered across the tables and chairs in the common room around which all the rooms are based. I still can’t believe I paid for this place. The kitchen’s purpose was confusing, and the constant feeling of someone lurking made us feel bad and got in the way of enjoying part of our summer trip across Europe. I wouldn’t stay again.