Rome, Florence, Venice: Reviews of the 4 apartments we stayed in
Apr 30th, 2007, 06:04 AM
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Rome, Florence, Venice: Reviews of the 4 apartments we stayed in
This board was of immense help in choosing our apartments for our trip in March. Thank you for all your various comments!
I tried to budget around 100-120 Euros a night for our accommodations. Sometimes this was not so easy, especially when traveling during a holiday season (Easter). Each stay was a week long, Saturday to Saturday.
Florence:
San Lorenzo Apartment
http://tinyurl.com/2rcxv4
650 Euros/week plus 42 Euros for cleaning
Located an easy walk from the SM Novella station, yet very close to the San Lorenzo Markets and the Duomo, this apartment was a real delight!
The one bedroom was composed of twin beds that were pushed together to make a king size. There was plenty of closet space, as well as a dresser and night stands next to each side of the bed, and a window.
The all-in-one living/dining/kitchen room was very spacious. There was a couch which could convert to another bed, an overstuffed chair, a dining table with 4 chairs, and a TV. The kitchen area was L-shaped, having a full-size refrigerator with separate freezer compartment, stovetop, microwave, and washing machine. There was a good supply of kitchen essentials: dishes, glasses, pots and pans, and even an American-style drip coffee maker.
There are heaters just underneath the windows, which worked quite satisfactorily. An A/C system is also available; however, we did not need cooling during our chilly days!
This apartment is located on the first floor. There is a small lift, although if you didn’t close the doors just right, it wouldn’t work. For example, when we would come back during the day, we’d push the button to call for the lift to come to the ground floor. Well, it was stuck on the top floor with the doors open. No problem, generally, walking up the stairs, but it was inconvenient with groceries or after a long day.
The bathroom is very clean, bright, and fairly large. There is a shower with door (no curtain), bidet, toilet, and the sink is separated by a door. The towels were thick and fluffy, and there were several rolls of toilet paper.
There is a very large supermarket on the ground level. Inside is just about anything one could need, fresh vegetables and fruit, deli, fish, meats, cheeses, wine, bread, household goods, etc. It was very nice and super convenient. Besides the supermarket, the street mostly consists of other apartments, some small retailers such as a shoe and clothing store, a Chinese restaurant, and a hotel at the end of the street.
It is hard to escape street noise in Florence. Although this street is not a main artery, there are scooters coming and going throughout the day. At night, though, aside from the occasional late party-goer, the area is quiet and allows for a good night’s sleep. Church bells will begin around 7 am.
The owners were delightful to work with. I would not hesitate to stay here again.
Next: Rome (2 different apartments)
I tried to budget around 100-120 Euros a night for our accommodations. Sometimes this was not so easy, especially when traveling during a holiday season (Easter). Each stay was a week long, Saturday to Saturday.
Florence:
San Lorenzo Apartment
http://tinyurl.com/2rcxv4
650 Euros/week plus 42 Euros for cleaning
Located an easy walk from the SM Novella station, yet very close to the San Lorenzo Markets and the Duomo, this apartment was a real delight!
The one bedroom was composed of twin beds that were pushed together to make a king size. There was plenty of closet space, as well as a dresser and night stands next to each side of the bed, and a window.
The all-in-one living/dining/kitchen room was very spacious. There was a couch which could convert to another bed, an overstuffed chair, a dining table with 4 chairs, and a TV. The kitchen area was L-shaped, having a full-size refrigerator with separate freezer compartment, stovetop, microwave, and washing machine. There was a good supply of kitchen essentials: dishes, glasses, pots and pans, and even an American-style drip coffee maker.
There are heaters just underneath the windows, which worked quite satisfactorily. An A/C system is also available; however, we did not need cooling during our chilly days!
This apartment is located on the first floor. There is a small lift, although if you didn’t close the doors just right, it wouldn’t work. For example, when we would come back during the day, we’d push the button to call for the lift to come to the ground floor. Well, it was stuck on the top floor with the doors open. No problem, generally, walking up the stairs, but it was inconvenient with groceries or after a long day.
The bathroom is very clean, bright, and fairly large. There is a shower with door (no curtain), bidet, toilet, and the sink is separated by a door. The towels were thick and fluffy, and there were several rolls of toilet paper.
There is a very large supermarket on the ground level. Inside is just about anything one could need, fresh vegetables and fruit, deli, fish, meats, cheeses, wine, bread, household goods, etc. It was very nice and super convenient. Besides the supermarket, the street mostly consists of other apartments, some small retailers such as a shoe and clothing store, a Chinese restaurant, and a hotel at the end of the street.
It is hard to escape street noise in Florence. Although this street is not a main artery, there are scooters coming and going throughout the day. At night, though, aside from the occasional late party-goer, the area is quiet and allows for a good night’s sleep. Church bells will begin around 7 am.
The owners were delightful to work with. I would not hesitate to stay here again.
Next: Rome (2 different apartments)
Apr 30th, 2007, 06:34 AM
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Hope you're filing these reviews at www.slowtalk.com also.
Apr 30th, 2007, 11:12 AM
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Rome
Before I give the reviews, I must make a comment here about the agency we used for both our Rome rentals, Sleep In Italy. I had read about some problems people had encountered, from last-minute switches of apartments to cancellations.
I can say that our rentals went very smoothly. From the very first email to the checking in of the apartments and their quality, nothing was out of order. Everything was handled in a very professional manner, and we were very happy with both places. I would not hesitate to use Sleep In Italy again nor would I hesitate to recommend them to you.
Apartment Piazza Rondanini
http://tinyurl.com/hlqd5
110 Euros/night plus 35 Euros for final cleaning
From our arrival at the Termini, we took a cab (9 Euros) to the vicinity of the apartment. There were some street blockages, so the cab couldn’t make it all the way to this tiny piazza. But that’s what legs are for!
We were met at the appointed time by Mr. Vinod, a charming fellow who spent quite a bit of time with us, going over the how-to’s of the apartment. He filled us in on where the buy groceries, find bus stops, internet cafes, etc.
Piazza Rondanini is a small piazza composed of a couple restaurants, a government building, and other apartments . The tenants in the building were very friendly and helpful. The area is clean and secure. In fact, to get into the apartment, you go through the front door with a key, then a secondary gate with another key, and then the apartment door with yet another key. Absolutely no problem with safety or feeling insecure.
The location is superb! It is literally a 30-second walk to the Pantheon and a very short distance to many of Rome’s historic sites. I cannot imagine a better location for seeing Rome and its treasures.
The apartment is located on the first floor, up one flight of stairs (approximately 20 steps). There is an elevator; however; its first stop is the second floor, so you’d have to walk down as many steps as you walk up. We just walked each time. Once inside the front door of the building (and this would be my only complaint), I felt the area could use a bit of sprucing up. Paint and plaster is missing in quite a few places, giving the appearance of a rundown building. However, the uncomfortable feeling I had disappeared when I walked into our apartment.
The entryway consisted of a long hallway. The sliding doors were decorated with some sort of gold flowers, covered with glass. This seemed to be consistent throughout the apartment, on the bathroom door and also the doors separating the kitchen wall with the living room.
The bedroom contained what was called a double bed (seemed like a US queen-size), one dresser, and a couple nightstands with lights. There was no window in the bedroom; however, there was a ceiling fan.
The living room/dining area/kitchen was all one room. The couch was fairly comfortable for sitting, although I’m not sure it would make a comfortable bed for sleeping as there were a few low spots. The dining table was elegant and very large (as I recall, 6 chairs). The chairs were padded, which was nice as the couch was the only other place to sit. There are two windows in the living room. When you sit on the couch, you cannot see out the windows as they are higher up on the walls. They are fairly small windows, perhaps two feet by two feet, but they open up to the piazza below and allow fresh air and light into the room. There was also a chest of drawers upon which sat the small TV.
The kitchen was against one wall. It was fairly small but certainly contained everything we needed. There was a refrigerator, freezer, oven, stovetop, and washing machine. There were plenty of dishes, silverware, and pots and pans. The coffeemaker was a small two-cup style that you percolate on the stovetop. The freezer was plenty cold to make ice cubes, a treat for those of us who like ice in their iced tea or sodas. I did not like the sliding doors in the kitchen. There were 4 of them, very beautiful, but I felt they were more of a nuisance than decorative. In order to work the stove, they had to be moved out of the way, but then they were in the way of opening the cupboards or the refrigerator. And they seemed to get stuck in their little tracks. But when they were closed, the room was beautiful with the gold shining. Just seemed odd for a rental apartment.
The bathroom was quite large, with plenty of room for dressing. The shower was fairly basic, small, enclosed on all sides. Be careful if you drop your soap as there isn’t much room to bend over! The water pressure was good, and there was plenty of hot water.
There had been some comments about a smell coming from the bathroom. We did not notice a smell the first day. However, the second morning, there it was. Not a particularly overwhelming smell, more like a sewer starting to back up. We noticed when we flushed the toilet that there was a little “burp” in the shower drain each time. So we simply placed a plastic cup from the kitchen over the shower drain and, like magic, the smell disappeared. When we showered, we simply removed the cup, then put it back on when we were through. Absolutely no smell at all the rest of the week.
There were two portable heaters, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, which we used everyday. There was also a portable air conditioning unit in one of the living room windows, but we did not use it.
We were very comfortable in this apartment, and we would definitely stay here again.
Next: Same city, new apartment.
Before I give the reviews, I must make a comment here about the agency we used for both our Rome rentals, Sleep In Italy. I had read about some problems people had encountered, from last-minute switches of apartments to cancellations.
I can say that our rentals went very smoothly. From the very first email to the checking in of the apartments and their quality, nothing was out of order. Everything was handled in a very professional manner, and we were very happy with both places. I would not hesitate to use Sleep In Italy again nor would I hesitate to recommend them to you.
Apartment Piazza Rondanini
http://tinyurl.com/hlqd5
110 Euros/night plus 35 Euros for final cleaning
From our arrival at the Termini, we took a cab (9 Euros) to the vicinity of the apartment. There were some street blockages, so the cab couldn’t make it all the way to this tiny piazza. But that’s what legs are for!
We were met at the appointed time by Mr. Vinod, a charming fellow who spent quite a bit of time with us, going over the how-to’s of the apartment. He filled us in on where the buy groceries, find bus stops, internet cafes, etc.
Piazza Rondanini is a small piazza composed of a couple restaurants, a government building, and other apartments . The tenants in the building were very friendly and helpful. The area is clean and secure. In fact, to get into the apartment, you go through the front door with a key, then a secondary gate with another key, and then the apartment door with yet another key. Absolutely no problem with safety or feeling insecure.
The location is superb! It is literally a 30-second walk to the Pantheon and a very short distance to many of Rome’s historic sites. I cannot imagine a better location for seeing Rome and its treasures.
The apartment is located on the first floor, up one flight of stairs (approximately 20 steps). There is an elevator; however; its first stop is the second floor, so you’d have to walk down as many steps as you walk up. We just walked each time. Once inside the front door of the building (and this would be my only complaint), I felt the area could use a bit of sprucing up. Paint and plaster is missing in quite a few places, giving the appearance of a rundown building. However, the uncomfortable feeling I had disappeared when I walked into our apartment.
The entryway consisted of a long hallway. The sliding doors were decorated with some sort of gold flowers, covered with glass. This seemed to be consistent throughout the apartment, on the bathroom door and also the doors separating the kitchen wall with the living room.
The bedroom contained what was called a double bed (seemed like a US queen-size), one dresser, and a couple nightstands with lights. There was no window in the bedroom; however, there was a ceiling fan.
The living room/dining area/kitchen was all one room. The couch was fairly comfortable for sitting, although I’m not sure it would make a comfortable bed for sleeping as there were a few low spots. The dining table was elegant and very large (as I recall, 6 chairs). The chairs were padded, which was nice as the couch was the only other place to sit. There are two windows in the living room. When you sit on the couch, you cannot see out the windows as they are higher up on the walls. They are fairly small windows, perhaps two feet by two feet, but they open up to the piazza below and allow fresh air and light into the room. There was also a chest of drawers upon which sat the small TV.
The kitchen was against one wall. It was fairly small but certainly contained everything we needed. There was a refrigerator, freezer, oven, stovetop, and washing machine. There were plenty of dishes, silverware, and pots and pans. The coffeemaker was a small two-cup style that you percolate on the stovetop. The freezer was plenty cold to make ice cubes, a treat for those of us who like ice in their iced tea or sodas. I did not like the sliding doors in the kitchen. There were 4 of them, very beautiful, but I felt they were more of a nuisance than decorative. In order to work the stove, they had to be moved out of the way, but then they were in the way of opening the cupboards or the refrigerator. And they seemed to get stuck in their little tracks. But when they were closed, the room was beautiful with the gold shining. Just seemed odd for a rental apartment.
The bathroom was quite large, with plenty of room for dressing. The shower was fairly basic, small, enclosed on all sides. Be careful if you drop your soap as there isn’t much room to bend over! The water pressure was good, and there was plenty of hot water.
There had been some comments about a smell coming from the bathroom. We did not notice a smell the first day. However, the second morning, there it was. Not a particularly overwhelming smell, more like a sewer starting to back up. We noticed when we flushed the toilet that there was a little “burp” in the shower drain each time. So we simply placed a plastic cup from the kitchen over the shower drain and, like magic, the smell disappeared. When we showered, we simply removed the cup, then put it back on when we were through. Absolutely no smell at all the rest of the week.
There were two portable heaters, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, which we used everyday. There was also a portable air conditioning unit in one of the living room windows, but we did not use it.
We were very comfortable in this apartment, and we would definitely stay here again.
Next: Same city, new apartment.
Apr 30th, 2007, 02:05 PM
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Mimar, I've never posted to slowtrav, but I have read their reviews. Guess I should register and try making a post.
Finding that perfect apartment isn't an easy task. Glad I can be of help to some tiny degree.
I should have the remaining two written by tomorrow.
Finding that perfect apartment isn't an easy task. Glad I can be of help to some tiny degree.
I should have the remaining two written by tomorrow.
May 1st, 2007, 06:23 AM
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Sorry, that should have been www.slowtrav.com, not slowtalk. And, yes, that site is the more comprehensive and organized location for self-catering rentals.
We all appreciate your reports.
We all appreciate your reports.
May 1st, 2007, 06:44 AM
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Rome:
Via Sora Apartment
http://tinyurl.com/ywsp9d
116 Euros/night plus 35 Euros for final cleaning
This extra week in Rome was added at the last minute, so availability was pretty scarce when we booked. Again, Sleep In Italy came through with flying colors. Mr. Vinod once again met us promptly at the appointed time, and he explained in detail the workings of the apartment.
On the website, the location is noted as being in the Campo dei Fiori section of Rome. However, we found it to be about halfway between Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori, an easy walk either way. Located on a small street nestled between Corso Vittorio Emanuel and Governo Vecchio, it was very easy to find. During the day, it is a fairly quiet street. However, the evenings become a bit noisy as it is next door to the famous Da Baffetto Pizza, which opens promptly at 6:30 p.m. until around 1:00 a.m. each night.
This one-bedroom was considerably smaller than our previous apartment; however, it is much more updated and modern in its design. Located on the first floor with no elevator, you enter into a small area and climb the stairs that go round and round. I found this area to be a bit damp and musty smelling each day.
Entering into the living/dining room/kitchen area, you will find a comfortable sofa, small table and chairs, and a cooking corner. The refrigerator is very small, and the freezer is a compartment. I found it odd that the coffee cups could contain about two cups of liquid (more like big mugs); however, the small stovetop coffee maker could brew only one cup at a time (just a tad inconvenient to make our morning supply of four cups). The plates, glassware, and silverware were located in a cabinet next to the table, which could not be opened unless the chairs were moved out of the way. There was a two-burner stovetop, dishwasher, microwave, no oven. The TV was a flat screen, and there were a couple of English-speaking channels.
The windows could use updating. There was absolutely no insulation to protect from the coolness outside or the noise from below. You could literally hear people whispering. If someone was to sleep in the living room, I would highly recommend ear plugs.
The bedroom had a double bed which was very comfortable. The only window was small and high in a corner. The room was very quiet at night, so we slept quite well. There was a wardrobe with plenty of hangers, and a couple drawers for clothes. No separate dresser. A small table was next to each side of the bed, with a light on each table.
The bathroom was very modern and ultra clean. The shower had good pressure and plenty of hot water. The towels were of good quality, and the washing machine was very convenient.
The location of this apartment was super convenient for catching the bus. A short 30-second walk takes you to Corso Vittorio Emanuel, where you can find a bus to practically anywhere in the city. On our departure date, we decided to take a bus to the Termini rather than a cab. There is an Express Bus #40 which runs quite often and takes just a few minutes to get to the station. On Saturday morning, this bus was practically empty, so hauling the luggage on board was no problem.
Would we stay here again? Not sure. The outside noise in the evenings was pretty intolerable, especially when we were exhausted from the day and just wanted some peace and quiet. Really, even with the windows closed, you could hear every word of every conversation. Reading a book or planning the next day’s activities was difficult with the constant talking. But the location was great, access to the bus was superb, eating at Baffetto’s was a real treat, and the gelato place across the alley was delicious!
Next: Venice
Via Sora Apartment
http://tinyurl.com/ywsp9d
116 Euros/night plus 35 Euros for final cleaning
This extra week in Rome was added at the last minute, so availability was pretty scarce when we booked. Again, Sleep In Italy came through with flying colors. Mr. Vinod once again met us promptly at the appointed time, and he explained in detail the workings of the apartment.
On the website, the location is noted as being in the Campo dei Fiori section of Rome. However, we found it to be about halfway between Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori, an easy walk either way. Located on a small street nestled between Corso Vittorio Emanuel and Governo Vecchio, it was very easy to find. During the day, it is a fairly quiet street. However, the evenings become a bit noisy as it is next door to the famous Da Baffetto Pizza, which opens promptly at 6:30 p.m. until around 1:00 a.m. each night.
This one-bedroom was considerably smaller than our previous apartment; however, it is much more updated and modern in its design. Located on the first floor with no elevator, you enter into a small area and climb the stairs that go round and round. I found this area to be a bit damp and musty smelling each day.
Entering into the living/dining room/kitchen area, you will find a comfortable sofa, small table and chairs, and a cooking corner. The refrigerator is very small, and the freezer is a compartment. I found it odd that the coffee cups could contain about two cups of liquid (more like big mugs); however, the small stovetop coffee maker could brew only one cup at a time (just a tad inconvenient to make our morning supply of four cups). The plates, glassware, and silverware were located in a cabinet next to the table, which could not be opened unless the chairs were moved out of the way. There was a two-burner stovetop, dishwasher, microwave, no oven. The TV was a flat screen, and there were a couple of English-speaking channels.
The windows could use updating. There was absolutely no insulation to protect from the coolness outside or the noise from below. You could literally hear people whispering. If someone was to sleep in the living room, I would highly recommend ear plugs.
The bedroom had a double bed which was very comfortable. The only window was small and high in a corner. The room was very quiet at night, so we slept quite well. There was a wardrobe with plenty of hangers, and a couple drawers for clothes. No separate dresser. A small table was next to each side of the bed, with a light on each table.
The bathroom was very modern and ultra clean. The shower had good pressure and plenty of hot water. The towels were of good quality, and the washing machine was very convenient.
The location of this apartment was super convenient for catching the bus. A short 30-second walk takes you to Corso Vittorio Emanuel, where you can find a bus to practically anywhere in the city. On our departure date, we decided to take a bus to the Termini rather than a cab. There is an Express Bus #40 which runs quite often and takes just a few minutes to get to the station. On Saturday morning, this bus was practically empty, so hauling the luggage on board was no problem.
Would we stay here again? Not sure. The outside noise in the evenings was pretty intolerable, especially when we were exhausted from the day and just wanted some peace and quiet. Really, even with the windows closed, you could hear every word of every conversation. Reading a book or planning the next day’s activities was difficult with the constant talking. But the location was great, access to the bus was superb, eating at Baffetto’s was a real treat, and the gelato place across the alley was delicious!
Next: Venice
May 1st, 2007, 05:41 PM
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Venice:
Residence Corte Grimani
www.cortegrimani.com
180 Euros/night plus 35 Euros for kitchen cleaning
I cannot imagine a lovelier apartment in Venice. Not only is this residence very clean, modern, and oh so comfortable, but the staff is first class. Greeted as warmly as a long-lost relative, you totally feel as if you have arrived home, at last. This was our big splurge. We knew that after two weeks in Rome, we would need to be able to really unwind, to soak up all that is Venice. This is the place dreams are made of.
Corte Grimani is located on a small canal, only a minute’s walk to St. Mark’s Square. We chose to take the #82 vaporetto from the station and walk the short distance from the stop, but a private water taxi can also be arranged (which drops you right at the front door). Where the other apartments we stayed at had only one apartment here, one there, this is indeed a hotel residence. I believe there are 15 or so apartments in the building, all run from the central desk downstairs. Someone is at the desk 24 hours a day.
There are three different styles of apartments. We chose the standard one-bedroom. It was not considered a view room; however, upon opening any of the four windows, if you look to the left you can see the canal and hear the gondoliers singing. The first thing that strikes you upon entering is the size of the rooms – very large! There is plenty of room to spread out, and the rooms are separated by heavy doors for plenty of privacy.
The living/dining area/kitchen is one room. On the table was a bag of cookies from a local bakery, and a cold bottle of water was in the refrigerator. A bottle of wine was delivered to our room shortly after arrival, compliments of the management. The sofa was very comfy, and it could fold out into a bed, if needed. There would be absolutely no crowding if you used the sofa as a bed. The kitchen area against the wall contained a fine assortment of necessities should you decide to do some cooking. The extra fee for cleaning the kitchen is only charged if you use the stove (we did). There was also a washer/dryer combo, as well as a dishwasher, both made of high quality stainless steel.
Through the hall is a very small room, which could probably be used for a young child. Across the hall is the lovely bathroom, complete with full-size tub/shower with curtain. The towels were very thick, and there was a nice assortment of shampoo, lotions, etc. placed on the vanity each day. On the floor under the sink were two pairs of Corte Grimani slippers, each wrapped separately, a gift to use and bring home. Nice touch!
The bedroom is also very large. There is a king-size bed with a beautiful gold comforter, an antique roll-top dresser, plenty of closet space, and a table and lamp at each bedside.
There is daily maid service here, something the other apartments did not have. The staff was always willing to help with tours, restaurant reservations, or travel arrangements. There is even an internet in the lobby, free to use for guests. And if you desire, they serve breakfast downstairs (for a fee). After finding the supermarkets nearby, we instead enjoyed the quiet mornings in the comfort of our room.
Air conditioning is available at certain times (it was not turned on yet when we were there). The windows allow for lots of air and sunlight. (Be sure to close the sheers to keep those pesky mosquitoes at bay.)
We will definitely return to the Corte Grimani. It is our little slice of heaven.
Residence Corte Grimani
www.cortegrimani.com
180 Euros/night plus 35 Euros for kitchen cleaning
I cannot imagine a lovelier apartment in Venice. Not only is this residence very clean, modern, and oh so comfortable, but the staff is first class. Greeted as warmly as a long-lost relative, you totally feel as if you have arrived home, at last. This was our big splurge. We knew that after two weeks in Rome, we would need to be able to really unwind, to soak up all that is Venice. This is the place dreams are made of.
Corte Grimani is located on a small canal, only a minute’s walk to St. Mark’s Square. We chose to take the #82 vaporetto from the station and walk the short distance from the stop, but a private water taxi can also be arranged (which drops you right at the front door). Where the other apartments we stayed at had only one apartment here, one there, this is indeed a hotel residence. I believe there are 15 or so apartments in the building, all run from the central desk downstairs. Someone is at the desk 24 hours a day.
There are three different styles of apartments. We chose the standard one-bedroom. It was not considered a view room; however, upon opening any of the four windows, if you look to the left you can see the canal and hear the gondoliers singing. The first thing that strikes you upon entering is the size of the rooms – very large! There is plenty of room to spread out, and the rooms are separated by heavy doors for plenty of privacy.
The living/dining area/kitchen is one room. On the table was a bag of cookies from a local bakery, and a cold bottle of water was in the refrigerator. A bottle of wine was delivered to our room shortly after arrival, compliments of the management. The sofa was very comfy, and it could fold out into a bed, if needed. There would be absolutely no crowding if you used the sofa as a bed. The kitchen area against the wall contained a fine assortment of necessities should you decide to do some cooking. The extra fee for cleaning the kitchen is only charged if you use the stove (we did). There was also a washer/dryer combo, as well as a dishwasher, both made of high quality stainless steel.
Through the hall is a very small room, which could probably be used for a young child. Across the hall is the lovely bathroom, complete with full-size tub/shower with curtain. The towels were very thick, and there was a nice assortment of shampoo, lotions, etc. placed on the vanity each day. On the floor under the sink were two pairs of Corte Grimani slippers, each wrapped separately, a gift to use and bring home. Nice touch!
The bedroom is also very large. There is a king-size bed with a beautiful gold comforter, an antique roll-top dresser, plenty of closet space, and a table and lamp at each bedside.
There is daily maid service here, something the other apartments did not have. The staff was always willing to help with tours, restaurant reservations, or travel arrangements. There is even an internet in the lobby, free to use for guests. And if you desire, they serve breakfast downstairs (for a fee). After finding the supermarkets nearby, we instead enjoyed the quiet mornings in the comfort of our room.
Air conditioning is available at certain times (it was not turned on yet when we were there). The windows allow for lots of air and sunlight. (Be sure to close the sheers to keep those pesky mosquitoes at bay.)
We will definitely return to the Corte Grimani. It is our little slice of heaven.
May 1st, 2007, 05:54 PM
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This is perfect for all of us who are constantly "looking" for apartments in Italy, even without a trip forthcoming. Too bad about the noise around the Campo apartment; I really love that area and the place is cute. Do you think earplugs would have helped? I've stayed on via del Pellegrino and via dei Cappellari without being bothered by noise...Ever hopeful.
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much.
May 1st, 2007, 06:15 PM
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Hello Leely,
Thanks for checking in!
The Apartment Sora's living room is the one where noise was a problem. The bedroom was perfect for sleeping.
If another person or children were to sleep in the living room, unless they can sleep thru anything, I would definitely suggest earplugs.
If you look at the photo of the apartment thru the link, you see two good sized windows in the living room. There was no insulation whatsoever. It was like the wood from the windows was hitting the wood from the frame, and that was it.
All I can say is that if you live in an area where people walk outside your window, it was as if the window was open, although it was closed. No air particularly came thru, just the noise from the talking. Weird, I know.
Aside from that, though, the place was great, clean, modern, and certainly very convenient.
Happy travels!
Thanks for checking in!
The Apartment Sora's living room is the one where noise was a problem. The bedroom was perfect for sleeping.
If another person or children were to sleep in the living room, unless they can sleep thru anything, I would definitely suggest earplugs.
If you look at the photo of the apartment thru the link, you see two good sized windows in the living room. There was no insulation whatsoever. It was like the wood from the windows was hitting the wood from the frame, and that was it.
All I can say is that if you live in an area where people walk outside your window, it was as if the window was open, although it was closed. No air particularly came thru, just the noise from the talking. Weird, I know.
Aside from that, though, the place was great, clean, modern, and certainly very convenient.
Happy travels!
May 14th, 2007, 12:53 PM
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Hello. We just came back from Rome and would highly recommend either this apartment or this agency. Very easy to deal with as well as very reasonable prices. I cannot stop raving about this place - better than the pictures with a host that speaks English.
http://www.b-b.rm.it/accommodations/desc.php?id=387
Aug 6th, 2007, 12:15 PM
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Hello Kopp,
I did not know you have this page or else I would not have asked so many questions. Actually, we have looked at the Via Sora appartment before because it appeared in such convenient location but we could not find any review in Slowtravel. Good to see this in here.
The San Lorenzo apartment in Florence is the one we also want to book. I think it is large enough for four people.
The Venice apartmen is very nice but for four people you have to pay 80 more euros for the standard one. My hubby was tempted by it because he said it looks really really nice. We will see.
I do agree with you that we try to keep our budget but sometimes it is not easy to do so. The Venice apartment is one good example if we rent it(260 euro a night).
In the meantime, I have put in a request for the Paradiso apartment in Rome after we cannot secure the Via Panico one(look into Franco's page).
I hope this one will work for us. As soon as i have the Rome apartment confirmed do I have the courage to move on to Florence, Venice, Milan and Paris. I can only do one city at a time!!
I did not know you have this page or else I would not have asked so many questions. Actually, we have looked at the Via Sora appartment before because it appeared in such convenient location but we could not find any review in Slowtravel. Good to see this in here.
The San Lorenzo apartment in Florence is the one we also want to book. I think it is large enough for four people.
The Venice apartmen is very nice but for four people you have to pay 80 more euros for the standard one. My hubby was tempted by it because he said it looks really really nice. We will see.
I do agree with you that we try to keep our budget but sometimes it is not easy to do so. The Venice apartment is one good example if we rent it(260 euro a night).
In the meantime, I have put in a request for the Paradiso apartment in Rome after we cannot secure the Via Panico one(look into Franco's page).
I hope this one will work for us. As soon as i have the Rome apartment confirmed do I have the courage to move on to Florence, Venice, Milan and Paris. I can only do one city at a time!!
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