Big Johnny B

The owner is very polite and does her best to help you have a perfect holiday. The accommodation is modern and cosy, with everything you need. There's a romantic balcony and terrace too. The metro is nearby, along with shops, good restaurants, and an entrance to the Vatican city.

After we had to cancel just a few days before arrival, Marcella let us reschedule at no cost, even though the general terms said there would be no refund. Five months later, we were warmly welcomed into a beautiful apartment with a cosy terrace, very close to the Vatican. We walked to some of Rome's nicest places, taking a route past the Vatican and along the Tiber, through Trastevere and on to the Colosseum in just over an hour without stopping. When we come back to Rome, we'll definitely stay at Big Johnny B again!

Our four-day stay in July 2019 was the worst B&B experience we've had. Marcella, the owner, came across to us as dishonest and focused on money, and we found many of the booking promises weren't met. The confirmation email clearly said “daily breakfast,” but when we rented all three rooms as a full apartment, Marcella repeatedly said breakfast wasn't included and insisted that was Italian custom under “Italian law.” What was provided was a worthless breakfast (see photo). The food and drinks shown on the Big Johnny B website weren't there either. We saw no fresh fruit or vegetables, or even a drop of alcohol. The air conditioning in one room ran constantly at its coldest setting. Marcella blamed previous guests for breaking it. We were told that getting air conditioning working in all three rooms would require a technician, and that even a call would cost €200. We could only use two rooms, but at checkout we were charged for all three, despite not knowing in advance about the faulty air conditioning. The terrace was very dirty when we arrived. Marcella said the cleaner hadn't come that morning. The booking confirmation also promised daily cleaning, but nobody cleaned during our stay, and we had to supply our own toilet paper. There were serious problems with the plumbing. The old apartment had been made into three rooms with separate bathrooms, and each bathroom's shower and toilet pipes were connected to a grinder, or “broyeur.” On our second evening, water stopped draining from the shower in the “Blues Room,” then dirty water came up through the toilet and flooded the bathroom. We called Marcella right away and had put towels at the doorway to keep the water from spreading through the apartment. She blamed us, shouted and called us names, including “I'm not your maid.” She accused the children of putting something in the toilet. When they denied it, she shouted that someone must have put sanitary towels in there. She got more aggressive while we asked her to calm down. At 10 pm she wanted to put us out on the street, smiling as she said we'd never find somewhere to sleep because Rome was fully booked. She also wanted us to pay €1,000 to repair the whole bathroom. We helped investigate the problem and, after some plumbing work, found the grinder motor was only working sporadically. Nothing had been thrown in. At first Marcella claimed there'd been no apartment problems in five years and this was the first time. When we found the grinder was broken, she changed her story and said this was the third time in six months. Marcella also said paying for the entire stay on arrival was customary in Italy. We'd already paid a deposit, but she insisted we pay the full amount immediately. This was despite only being able to use two of the three rooms, the poor breakfast, and the lack of daily cleaning. We paid everything the day after the grinder incident, but got no apology for her rude, haughty, and aggressive behavior. The towels felt like sandpaper and hadn't been put in a dryer. The mattress in the “Rock Room” was old and very bad. The promises in the reservation email all felt empty.

A perfect hotel.