bkyp79

Hi - I am trying to book our apartment for two people in Rome for next year. We are not looking for anything too fancy, just a comfortable place in a good location (walk to attractions, easy access to grocery and maybe restaurants), working kitchen, and most of all, in a safe location.

I've narrowed the choices to these 4, based on a combination of good reviews and price:

1. http://www.flipkey.com/rome-condo-rentals/p149991
2. http://www.flipkey.com/rome-condo-rentals/p285965
3. http://www.flipkey.com/rome-vacation-rentals/p286001/
4. http://www.flipkey.com/rome-condo-rentals/p159077/

Do you Fodorites have suggestions/recommendations on which one would work out best for first timers to Rome?

Thanks!

travelfan1

I think #3 is in the best location...most, but not all, prefer to be in the Piazza Navona area which puts you in a very central position.
With #1 they say it's in the shaded area....why won't they provide an exact location? #2, for a first time to Rome, is too far in the Trastevere section...for me anyway.

Have you looked at http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/list.asp?r=Rome, https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show-home/index.php or
http://www.b-b.rm.it/

qwovadis

Be very careful with TripAdvertizer scammers

looks like you have many solo owners there

lots do not even own those apartments and/or are tax cheats

NEVER wire money always pay with CC.

Personally stick with www.italyby.com other reputable sites

that take Credit Card or for me recently www.betterbidding.com

Intercontinental Spanish Steps bidding Priceline.com 120 euros

in May for me.

qwovadis

Do be aware that owners cull all reviews on Vrbo Tripadvetizer

most are fake/photos doctoed not representative at all of

the true nature of things...Craigs List is tha absolute worst.

JeanneB

bkyp: My sister and I rented a Rome apartment a couple of years ago...and we made all the classic mistakes. We chose a place with no comments on any of the travel sites we frequent. It was a terrific location (and looked good online) so we fell in love and went with it. Big mistake.

The owner was almost an hour late meeting us. Then, once we got in the apartment, we didn't inspect closely enough before handing over the money. We later discovered the shower was filthy...we had to clean the hair out of the drain. And dishes in the kitchen had been put away dirty...I swear they hadn't even been washed! We spent the first afternoon just cleaning things so we could even sleep there.

So all the caution suggested above is warranted. I suggest sticking with apartments that have reviews on independent sites like Fodors and Slow Trav. You might even find some on Trip Advisor.

bkyp79

I suppose I am not being very careful and didn't think flipkey/tripadvisor would be full of scammers. I gravitated toward it because the site was easy to search and sort based on previous reviews. Thanks for the reminder here.

I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry. I am going to start over using slowtravel and/or sleepinitaly. It looks like there are plenty of recommendations on the forums for sleepinitaly.

bkyp79

Ah, I spent a few hours on SleepInItaly, this research takes way longer than I expected, perhaps I am not spending my time wisely, hoping to plan a perfect vacation. Here are my top choices, which one would you guys pick and why? They all look nice to me, though I might not be looking at things I am not aware of. Thanks!

https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show...d_appartam=429

https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show...id_appartam=53

https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show...id_appartam=47

https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show...d_appartam=103

JeanneB

I like #3...Sora. The location is terrific. Bath looks nice. Owners are on site. And it's only 1st floor walk up. And it has good reviews.

I think you can't go wrong with any of them, though I prefer this side of the river to the Vatican side.

MelJ

We've rented from http://www.romecapitalapartments.com/ twice in the last couple of years. In both cases they were terrific to work with and we were well satisfied with the apartments.

When we were 5 people: http://www.romecapitalapartments.com...rajoli%20II-63
Location was wonderful--we walked everywhere--even the Vatican. Beautiful building, very nice apartment. One drawback: Kitchen is not functional because it is tucked behind posts.

I just went to the site and can't find the one we used when we were two, which is a shame.

I'd rent from them again.

artsbabe

We rented the Calamatta apartment a couple of years ago, and we thought the apartment was terrific. The location is very convenient, but it is not particularly lively. Not a lot of restaurant choices around. If we were to return, we would stay on the other side of the river.

susanboston

hi. i'm not on this site very often, but am in the throws of planning another rome trip right now as well. i was surfing for more feedback on spagnoli red and came across your question. i have rented from sleepinitaly before in rome, florence and venice, with no problems, i would (and have) send my family and friends to them. i would rent grotte red again if they had internet there, but they don't. i have researched sora, but i know the street very well (it is so short and so close to the main drag, i'm not thrilled with it) and have read reviews complaining that the noise is just awful because it's only on the 1st floor and there's a loud business downstairs....i am not afraid of city noise, but one review complained it was really bad. volpe 2 has a great location, but my memory says lots of stairs and no internet, which could be wrong. .... calamata is tempting because it looks so lovely for the money, but being in very close proximity to restaurants and cafes is huge for us, i think the reviews say it is not very convenient in that regard. i'm leaning towards spagnoli dred even though it looks like there is absolutely no sweet roman view to speak of, everything else seems spot on....i guess the fear is that it has so many amenities for the price to be where it is....even with low water pressure! i especially like the little produce market right there. when are you going? what have you found/decided?

bardo1

I concur with JeanneB for all the same reasons: #3 - Sora.

Best location of the four (though all four are acceptable locations), nice layout, space, light, 1st floor, etc.

andtrev

Hi

Currently looking for an apartment for 2 in a good position with internet and washing machine and have come across Spagnoli Red booked through Room in Italy. It is located on/near via delgi spanoli. I have read the reviews here and elsewhere but I have further questions:
Is this close to public transport? What options do we have to see Rome as well as the Vatican?
Is this centrally located to all the tourist Rome and Vatican attractions?
Anyone stayed in this apartment recently?
Look forward to

charnees

We have also had good experiences with VRBO. I would cross-check the reviews on TripAdvisor and SlowTrav to be cautious. sleepinitaly.com is time consuming, for sure, because it takes time to look at all the details. I always look at the photos very carefully, several times, to see how big the rooms are, how much storage there is, how well-designed the bathroom is (will the shower spray water all over the room?), how much work space there is in the kitchen, etc. Disregard the scenery photos. Look at the maps and locate the sights you want to see on it, too. Ask for the exact address so you can find it for yourself on the map. Don't believe the "50 meters from Piazza Navona", as it is probably 500 meters (half a kilometer)

Italian property owner often ask for deposits. Bank transfers are hard to arrange and expensive. Also, many will ask for the balance in cash when you arrive. This is not unusual, as they don't use credit cards there as much. Whether or not they are tax-avoiders is not something you can know, and I would not worry about it. If it will be hard to bring enough euros on arrival (can't get enough from the ATM on day one, for example) ask if you can pay it in a couple of daily installments.

We really do think getting a car and driver from the airport is money well spent. When you arrive tired and jet-lagged, it's hard to find a place on your own. And the fare from the airport is fixed, whereas a taxi from the train statio can be unpredictable. Two years ago it was 40 euros from the airport. It might be 45 now.

njohn12

Among these I liked the third option the most however I personally book my apartment with www.lodjee.com/rome. I think you can also have this option with you.