Lucky Domus Appio apartment

The location and price were what drew us here, but after staying, I wouldn't book this apartment again or recommend it. We had a large group, and in hindsight I'd have paid more for proper sleep. Rome is hectic, so rest matters. The location is handy, with a metro around the corner and supermarkets, restaurants and pizzerias nearby. The neighborhood isn't very touristy, but that didn't bother me much since we were mostly there to sleep. The apartment itself has serious problems. We were meant to arrive at 15:00, but the staff showed up an hour late. Communication was poor and the service felt unprofessional. As soon as we came in, we had to pay the city tax and cleaning fee in cash. We got no receipt or payment confirmation, which made me worry the staff might keep some of the money or fail to report the actual number of guests. There was just one key for everyone, which was okay for our family but could be a problem for friends travelling together. The old building has a tiny, slow elevator. The owner said it should hold three people, and it takes ages to reach the fifth floor. The kitchen was a disaster: no coffee machine, and the water dispensers shown in some photos were gone. The washing machine leaked all over the place, and the small chairs were uncomfortable, some bent and felt unsafe. The apartment was listed for seven, but there wasn't enough room or cutlery for all of us. In the green room, the bed felt like it might fall apart, squeaked with every move and was uncomfortable. Its heating was broken, so even set to 5 the room stayed freezing. The balcony was nice but cluttered with old furniture and broken chairs. The bathroom there was fine. The blue room's queen bed was okay and quiet, but the single bed was so worn I can't imagine anyone sleeping on it. Its mattress was barely held together by wires. The balcony shutters from that room were jammed and hard to open. The red room had good cabinets and wardrobe, and its bathroom didn't smell, though the shower door didn't seal, so water spilled out easily. The worst part was the other bathroom. The toilet and sink were there, but the smell from the pipes, sink and shower was awful, like sewage from the whole building was sitting in the room. It needs to be fixed. The apartment has a license to operate in the hotel industry, which honestly surprised me.

I found this review on AirBnB. I'd recommend staying here and would come back myself, but the extra fees need to be explained better so guests aren't surprised when they arrive.

Perfect.

For six people, finding somewhere central in Rome that doesn't cost a fortune means making compromises. This old building isn't charming, but it worked well for our family of two adults and four kids. The neighborhood was great for dinner and ice cream, and the metro and a shopping center were close by. The apartment and linens were clean, the bed was decent, and we slept well. Just okay, nothing special.