Florence apartments - what do you think of these?
Jan 6th, 2014, 02:51 PM
#1
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Florence apartments - what do you think of these?
Am considering staying in an apartment. Looking at these:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1335403...%2F2014&s=9a57
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1159711...uests=2&s=f9ad
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/662667?...uests=2&s=7e0b
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/291397?...uests=2&s=c931
Input invited - especially regarding location. Thanks~
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1335403...%2F2014&s=9a57
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1159711...uests=2&s=f9ad
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/662667?...uests=2&s=7e0b
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/291397?...uests=2&s=c931
Input invited - especially regarding location. Thanks~
Jan 6th, 2014, 03:43 PM
#2
The first apartment is not a particularly nice area even if the street over has SMN Farmacia. It would make a difference on where on that street too. It's close to the bus station and train station. Further in towards the center (across Via del Moro) is the high end shopping area (mostly pedestrian), but out the other direction is not that great (traffic).
I like the location of the second one over the first one as it's closer to things, but both are outside the pedestrian area so you would have traffic.
The third one may be on the street Laartista was living on a few years ago. You might check her long thread about living there. Not sure if she is still living there as I haven't seen any posts by her lately.
The last one is at the San Lorenzo market and I wouldn't want a room there. Noise and people hanging out late at night might be a problem.
I like the location of the second one over the first one as it's closer to things, but both are outside the pedestrian area so you would have traffic.
The third one may be on the street Laartista was living on a few years ago. You might check her long thread about living there. Not sure if she is still living there as I haven't seen any posts by her lately.
The last one is at the San Lorenzo market and I wouldn't want a room there. Noise and people hanging out late at night might be a problem.
Jan 6th, 2014, 04:46 PM
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Hi
My preference is for the third one. Location is excellent and the interior beautiful. I love the street aspect too. At $131 per night I think it's excellent value. I've bookmarked it! Your fourth choice is also attractive and well located. I would avoid apartments with sofa beds. And flights of stairs in Florence are not for the faint hearted (re second apartment)
My preference is for the third one. Location is excellent and the interior beautiful. I love the street aspect too. At $131 per night I think it's excellent value. I've bookmarked it! Your fourth choice is also attractive and well located. I would avoid apartments with sofa beds. And flights of stairs in Florence are not for the faint hearted (re second apartment)
Jan 17th, 2015, 04:02 PM
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Hi DebitNM,
Would you please comment about your 2014 Florence apartment rental experience? I believe you rented #662667 through airbnb? Apartment looks like a good choice for friends who are planning a trip for October but before I send them a link it would be so helpful to hear your first hand impression. Also, could you comment about your experience renting through airbnb. Many thanks.
Would you please comment about your 2014 Florence apartment rental experience? I believe you rented #662667 through airbnb? Apartment looks like a good choice for friends who are planning a trip for October but before I send them a link it would be so helpful to hear your first hand impression. Also, could you comment about your experience renting through airbnb. Many thanks.
Jan 17th, 2015, 04:31 PM
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The last one has ac if you are going when it is hot. We were there in May and it was hot but a law about not turning the ac on till June? The landlord brought us bug plug ins so we could keep the windows open. The bedroom in the last one faces the courtyard and not the street. We were on the 6th floor near Dante's house and you could hear people at night yelling. Florence is loud. The third one is my favorite though.
Jan 17th, 2015, 04:51 PM
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We rented #662667. The apartment was lovely, just as the pictures show. The owner was easy to work with and I highly recommend the apartment. It was a great location and overall an A+ experience.
Airbnb is not a rental agency, so you do not "rent" through Airbnb. It is a listing sight, they collect the money and remit it to owner. The rental is through the owner. Roberta, who owned the apartment was most helpful and responsive to all my emails.
This was the first overseas apartment rental that I did and was pleased. We recently rented apartments in Barcelona and Paris through "professional" rental companies [different ones]. Both had issues and I was greatly disappointed in both of those experiences.
Looks like the reviews are still good, a good sign.
Airbnb is not a rental agency, so you do not "rent" through Airbnb. It is a listing sight, they collect the money and remit it to owner. The rental is through the owner. Roberta, who owned the apartment was most helpful and responsive to all my emails.
This was the first overseas apartment rental that I did and was pleased. We recently rented apartments in Barcelona and Paris through "professional" rental companies [different ones]. Both had issues and I was greatly disappointed in both of those experiences.
Looks like the reviews are still good, a good sign.
Jan 17th, 2015, 08:40 PM
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DebitNM - Thanks for your response. It sounds like the Florence apartment was a great choice with a responsive owner and I know from experience that is key. Very sorry to hear that your rentals in both Barcelona and Paris were not successful. Now of course I am very curious about where you stayed and why they did not work out. Did you leave any comments on Fodors or any reviews? I was in Barcelona for 10 days this past July and now have a September trip booked to both Barcelona and Paris.
Jan 18th, 2015, 05:35 AM
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If you want to know.
I contacted the Barcelona agency about 1 pressing issue while there [insufficient hot water] and they did send someone who basically said nothing was wrong. We had to wait a few hours for them to show up and I hate to lose valuable vacation time for that kind of reason; especially for a relatively short stay.
I did complete a review they sent me; they contacted me for a follow up but in the end, the review was never published.
Also, we had a second complaint [that had been published in an earlier review and was replied to on the website as "glad to know, we'll take care of it"] that I had thought was no big deal, turned out to be a big deal. [Gauzy window covering in Master Bedroom did not block out lights, so that the room was almost daylight bright ALL night due to hall and neighbors lights being left on all night].
So they didn't fix window covering issue from previous renter's review and didn't publish my review.
The one in Paris - the bath room was so small that one could barely sit on the toilet as it was so close to the opposite wall. The shower was smaller than most European ones and both my husband and I are fairly small people. There wasn't enough room to stand and dry my hair, I had to go into the main room [it was a studio]. You had to walk side ways to actually get from the door way [sliding/pocket door, since there was no room for door] to the sink and toilet and shower. The shower door had a tiny 3 panel sliding door, for good reason.
The windows were all frosted in the apartment and it wouldn't have mattered because there were no views of anything out them. I did ask about the windows before I made the rental. I was told that they didn't know the apartment first hand. Again, a well known rental agency located in US - which I thought would have been a plus.
The Paris agency never sent us a way to review apartment. I guess that is why there were only a few on the website [all good] and not close in dates. I didn't bother contacted them, as I wanted to be sure I would get my hefty key deposit back. Now that I have, I just might.
I contacted the Barcelona agency about 1 pressing issue while there [insufficient hot water] and they did send someone who basically said nothing was wrong. We had to wait a few hours for them to show up and I hate to lose valuable vacation time for that kind of reason; especially for a relatively short stay.
I did complete a review they sent me; they contacted me for a follow up but in the end, the review was never published.
Also, we had a second complaint [that had been published in an earlier review and was replied to on the website as "glad to know, we'll take care of it"] that I had thought was no big deal, turned out to be a big deal. [Gauzy window covering in Master Bedroom did not block out lights, so that the room was almost daylight bright ALL night due to hall and neighbors lights being left on all night].
So they didn't fix window covering issue from previous renter's review and didn't publish my review.
The one in Paris - the bath room was so small that one could barely sit on the toilet as it was so close to the opposite wall. The shower was smaller than most European ones and both my husband and I are fairly small people. There wasn't enough room to stand and dry my hair, I had to go into the main room [it was a studio]. You had to walk side ways to actually get from the door way [sliding/pocket door, since there was no room for door] to the sink and toilet and shower. The shower door had a tiny 3 panel sliding door, for good reason.
The windows were all frosted in the apartment and it wouldn't have mattered because there were no views of anything out them. I did ask about the windows before I made the rental. I was told that they didn't know the apartment first hand. Again, a well known rental agency located in US - which I thought would have been a plus.
The Paris agency never sent us a way to review apartment. I guess that is why there were only a few on the website [all good] and not close in dates. I didn't bother contacted them, as I wanted to be sure I would get my hefty key deposit back. Now that I have, I just might.
Jan 18th, 2015, 09:05 AM
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DebitNM - again many thanks for the detailed response about your recent Barcelona/Paris rentals. Renting overseas can be quite a challenge. Wishing you a more positive experience next time.
If you ever return to Barcelona and are interested in staying at a B & B, I can highly recommend BarcelonaBB - one of the best rentals I have ever had - terrific owners - I stayed in a suite in their private apt for 10 nights last July and am returning in Sept for 12 nights. I left a Trip Advisor review under the same nom de plume if you want to read it but you will also see many other glowing reviews.
Also had a good apartment rental experience in Paris in Sept 2012 through VRBO - it was a 1 BR , 6th arr. on Rue des Grands Augustins - with a very responsive local rental manager and apt amenities exactly as advertised.
This Sept we are renting a 1 BR Paris apartment on Ile Saint Louis through Parisaddress and are hoping for another positive experience - reviews are good - but as you encountered sometimes a rental agency can edit/omit certain reviews.
If you ever return to Barcelona and are interested in staying at a B & B, I can highly recommend BarcelonaBB - one of the best rentals I have ever had - terrific owners - I stayed in a suite in their private apt for 10 nights last July and am returning in Sept for 12 nights. I left a Trip Advisor review under the same nom de plume if you want to read it but you will also see many other glowing reviews.
Also had a good apartment rental experience in Paris in Sept 2012 through VRBO - it was a 1 BR , 6th arr. on Rue des Grands Augustins - with a very responsive local rental manager and apt amenities exactly as advertised.
This Sept we are renting a 1 BR Paris apartment on Ile Saint Louis through Parisaddress and are hoping for another positive experience - reviews are good - but as you encountered sometimes a rental agency can edit/omit certain reviews.
