Art Atelier Accomodation

The location worked well for visiting the Vatican museums, which are very close. The host was super welcoming and nice. Breakfast was just one croissant and one coffee per person, though they also gave us a yogurt. The apartment itself felt like a student house. The rooms were tiny, you could hear everyone else clearly, and there was no view except some trash bins. The bathroom doors weren’t proper doors, which could feel awkward if you’re staying as a couple.

The location was great for Vatican City, but parking was a nightmare. There was no reserved spot, and it felt like pure luck if you could find a paid space outside the apartment. The room was small and on the fifth floor, with a lift. The toilet flushed once, then wouldn’t flush again for several hours. Breakfast was a tray in the room with orange juice in a carton and a couple of biscuits or cake. There was a tiny kitchen with coffee making facilities, and a croissant was left there for each person every morning.

The neighborhood is nice and the location is good, but we barely slept during our four nights. The walls were paper thin, with people talking until 4am and construction starting in other apartments at 7am, even at the weekend. We left exhausted. I’ve been to Rome more than 15 times and this was my worst experience. The owner may have a good heart, and was reasonably nice in person, but the customer service and attempts to get more money were appalling. I booked through Booking.com for a wedding in Rome in May 2020. When COVID postponed it to 2021, the owner said he would cancel the reservation and give me a voucher, instead of cancelling through Booking.com. I agreed, and he told me not to book through Booking.com again, but to contact him once I knew the new dates. In May 2021 I contacted him about a summer reservation, but got no reply to more than 20 calls and WhatsApp messages. An Italian friend called for me, and the owner answered straight away, said it was a misunderstanding, and promised to respond to my messages as soon as possible. I heard nothing. After three weeks of trying, I gave up and angrily called him “a scam”. He promptly replied, then said the voucher was no longer valid because its date had passed while he was ignoring me. I couldn’t believe this trickster approach. When I challenged him, he said COVID had been hard and he couldn’t give rooms away for free. I reminded him he had already taken my money for four nights in 2020. He would only let me stay if I paid another 150EUR, even though the 2021 rooms cost less than what I had paid in 2020. Feeling scammed, tricked, and cornered, and faced with paying 400eur for another hotel, we felt forced to agree. Even the day before arrival, we weren’t sure we’d have a room because we still hadn’t received the code for the door and late check-in, despite asking a week in advance.

There are lots of restaurants nearby, and many of Rome’s interesting spots are easy to reach on foot. The place was clean and quiet, with a friendly, pleasant owner. Very nice stay near the Vatican.