4 bed Rome apartments....it's driving me mad

[W and W]

Hi from a :confused: slightly crazy cruise planner.

Here's the deal:

8 of us (4 couples) going on a Med cruise out of Civitavecchia next September. Having 3 days in Rome first and would like an apartment with 4 bedrooms, and 4 bathrooms.

I've looked at one on homeaway near Piazza Navona that looks fine but seems to have a Russian owner, and has no reviews.

Have read some worrying things on tripadvisor about certain apartment sites, (homeaway, rentalinrome, VRBO) Also read about scams where you send a deposit, then get told the apartment has been flooded and no refunds)

Beginning to wonder if just getting a hotel may be more reliable.

 

........................................help ..........................................

Edited October 14, 2015 by W and W
can't spell

[texancruzer]

Hmmmm we have rented 3 apartments in Rome and have had GREAT experiences all 3 times.

 

Have you tried SleepinItaly ?

 

The last 2 apartments we stayed at were booked through them…… one of them we had my mother in law with us and she can't do stairs. They helped find us the perfect place in the area we wanted to be in (right off Piazza Navonna). I spoke with her by email and even by phone once - maybe you would feel better working with some one that way.

 

You will so enjoy an apartment - especially with 4 couples…… having a living room etc is so nice as it gives you a common place for everyone to relax (for those rare moments when you do that in Rome :D) that is not a bedroom.

[sippican]

I agree that an apartment would probably be much more enjoyable than a hotel. We checked VRBO, Homeaway and Flipkey. Ended up booking an apartment through TripAdvisor - a first for us. You may want to give them a look.

As VRBO owners ourselves, I always advise to never book a rental without some type of reference or review. Sometimes it's hard to get a good review base since many guests do not provide feedback. If you are very interested in a unit that has no reviews listed, you may want to contact the owner to see if he/she can put you in contact with a reference. Also consider booking two, 2-bedroom units in the same building. Some of the sites mentioned have a "check out my other rentals" option on the pages.

[LondonTowner]

We have rented lots of places in France, Spain, Italy and Montenegro. Have never had a problem, but always build a rapport with the owner before we go. I also want a landline telephone number, not just a mobile. Also, try to pay by CC

[jaspersmommy]

Hi from a :confused: slightly crazy cruise planner.

Here's the deal:

8 of us (4 couples) going on a Med cruise out of Civitavecchia next September. Having 3 days in Rome first and would like an apartment with 4 bedrooms, and 4 bathrooms.

I've looked at one on homeaway near Piazza Navona that looks fine but seems to have a Russian owner, and has no reviews.

Have read some worrying things on tripadvisor about certain apartment sites, (homeaway, rentalinrome, VRBO) Also read about scams where you send a deposit, then get told the apartment has been flooded and no refunds)

Beginning to wonder if just getting a hotel may be more reliable.

 

........................................help ..........................................

 

I think you will find many rentals are listed on each of these sites, so there isn't always an advantage to using one over the other. I wouldn't worry about using VRBO so long as you are smart about it. There were some problems reported a while back (the ones I saw were about 4 or 5 years ago). Some owners' email accounts were hacked and the hackers responded to rental enquiries, accepted deposits and ran. Since then, VRBO has tightened up. I use it quite frequently and have never had any problems.

 

With VRBO, I only rent places with several reviews and some of them must be recent. I check with the owner on how old the photos are. I'm picky about how much deposit is charged... you should compare a few listings and you'll quickly figure out what's reasonable. I've been researching Rome and Venice rentals myself recently and have been surprised by how many Italian rentals don't ask for a deposit up front - just a credit card guarantee.

 

Once I decide I want to rent a specific unit, I always call the owner using the telephone number shown on the VRBO listing. I won't use a number provided in the owner's emailed response just in case the owner's email account has been hacked (although I think there is far less chance of that happening now).

 

You'll find that many of the VRBO listings are from reputable management companies. You can google the management company to check reviews.

 

For our upcoming Rome stay, there are two couples going, and we even had challenges finding two suitable units in the same building. We ended up booking in the Vatican area since it is quieter. It's close to Metro and bus stops and only minutes away from the city centre.

 

Are you averse to renting individual units in the same building? If not, try Rome Aurelia Apartments. I want to be clear that I haven't stayed there so am not recommending it. However, the online ratings are excellent and there are lots of them. If you are having difficulties finding individual units for each of you, something like this may be a potential solution.

[tel2]

We always rent an apartment. It is much more cost efficient, and for us, more comfortable. We have had good luck through VRBO, now Homeaway. But we follow much the same guidelines as the previous poster. We try to stick with "owner operated" properties. If I have a problem, I want to be able to speak with the owner, not a listing agent that may or may not pick up messages on weekends etc. We never rent anything that doesnt have multiple photos and multiple reviews, at least some of which are recent. We review the photos very carefully, and probably annoy the owners by asking many questions, i.e., do you supply toilet paper and basic soap, is there a coffee pot or french press, is there a full size freezer or just a refrigerator with a mini freezer compartment (we want ICE), does the building control turn off and on dates for heating and air conditioning or can we use them as we deem appropriate, are there any additional charges, such as cleaning fees, etc. We always call the owner at the number listed on the site. We generally press to pay the deposit by Paypal. We have never been unhappy with our choices. In april, we booked an apartment with a terrace right on campo d fiori -- it will probably be loud and it is slightly out of the area we usually like to stay in, but my husband thought it would be fun, so we will see.

 

Good luck.

 

Terry

[W and W]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think we've got one that looks good through flipkey (which is linked to Tripadvisor).

It's got 4 en-suite bedrooms, and it's next to the Spanish Steps which puts it close to many of the sites. It's also close to the Metro so getting to The Vatican and Colosseum should be OK. Lots of good reviews and any that are critical have been answered by the owner. She's asking for 10% of the fee as deposit, (payable by bank transfer or Paypal). So I think that we'll be OK.

 

Now I can move on to the 137 other things that need planning and booking.

I'm just glad that there's the Cruise Critic family to answer my questions.:)

[Hlitner]

Glad you found something :). But you raise a point that bears discussion. And that is Paypal. This is quickly becoming the international standard for dealing with rental transactions. Paypal makes it easy and fast to move large amounts of money between various types of currencies and a reasonable cost. So folks thinking about future rentals would be well advised to establish a Paypal Account. For larger transactions it makes sense to establish a Paypal - bank account link and this process takes several days. Once you set that up it is just a few clicks on any computer or Smartphone (anywhere in the world) to move money. On our last Paris apartment rental we had a large payment (well in excess of $1000) that had to be made to the agent at the time we took possession of the flat. Rather then take a lot of Euros we simply did a Paypal transfer (in the apartment with the rental agent) and she had the funds in a few seconds. Very convenient and no need to worry about getting thousands of Euros.

 

Hank

[sippican]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think we've got one that looks good through flipkey (which is linked to Tripadvisor).

It's got 4 en-suite bedrooms, and it's next to the Spanish Steps which puts it close to many of the sites. It's also close to the Metro so getting to The Vatican and Colosseum should be OK. Lots of good reviews and any that are critical have been answered by the owner. She's asking for 10% of the fee as deposit, (payable by bank transfer or Paypal). So I think that we'll be OK.

 

Now I can move on to the 137 other things that need planning and booking.

I'm just glad that there's the Cruise Critic family to answer my questions.:)

 

Wonderful, sounds perfect!

 

Glad you found something :). But you raise a point that bears discussion. And that is Paypal. This is quickly becoming the international standard for dealing with rental transactions. Paypal makes it easy and fast to move large amounts of money between various types of currencies and a reasonable cost. So folks thinking about future rentals would be well advised to establish a Paypal Account. For larger transactions it makes sense to establish a Paypal - bank account link and this process takes several days. Once you set that up it is just a few clicks on any computer or Smartphone (anywhere in the world) to move money. On our last Paris apartment rental we had a large payment (well in excess of $1000) that had to be made to the agent at the time we took possession of the flat. Rather then take a lot of Euros we simply did a Paypal transfer (in the apartment with the rental agent) and she had the funds in a few seconds. Very convenient and no need to worry about getting thousands of Euros.

 

Hank

 

Good point!

Our rental through TripAdvisor, processed our downpayment via Paypal.

 

I also wanted to mention that interested renters should check various sites for reviews. Our unit had no reviews on one site, but numerous reviews on a different booking site.

[tigercruiser]

we have great experiences renting apartments in Europe. But you do need to be careful. Make sure that you are using a reputable agency. I would avoid only-apartments.com at all costs

[Pushkin]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think we've got one that looks good through flipkey (which is linked to Tripadvisor).

It's got 4 en-suite bedrooms, and it's next to the Spanish Steps which puts it close to many of the sites. It's also close to the Metro so getting to The Vatican and Colosseum should be OK. Lots of good reviews and any that are critical have been answered by the owner. She's asking for 10% of the fee as deposit, (payable by bank transfer or Paypal). So I think that we'll be OK.

 

Now I can move on to the 137 other things that need planning and booking.

I'm just glad that there's the Cruise Critic family to answer my questions.:)

 

I know is has been a while since your post, but could you tell me how you liked the 4-bedroom apartment? I am looking for a 4-bedroom myself and there are not a lot of options.

Thank you! Andrea

[W and W]

I know is has been a while since your post, but could you tell me how you liked the 4-bedroom apartment? I am looking for a 4-bedroom myself and there are not a lot of options.

Thank you! Andrea

 

Hi Andrea. We don't go till the middle of September. However the apartments look great. They're 50 yds from the Spanish steps, each bedroom is en-suite . and there's an extra room with a sofa bed, so I guess it can be a 5 bed apartment. The lady who I've been in touch with has been very good and has arranged the transfer from the airport. I can send send you a link to the apartments if you wish.

 

Wayne. :)

[BoopTennis]

Hi Andrea. We don't go till the middle of September. However the apartments look great. They're 50 yds from the Spanish steps, each bedroom is en-suite . and there's an extra room with a sofa bed, so I guess it can be a 5 bed apartment. The lady who I've been in touch with has been very good and has arranged the transfer from the airport. I can send send you a link to the apartments if you wish.

 

Wayne. :)

 

hi - just curious - which place are you staying at in Rome? we are also going in middle of September and staying at one called "Spanish Deluxe" close to the Spanish steps, got it thru VRBO.

[W and W]

hi - just curious - which place are you staying at in Rome? we are also going in middle of September and staying at one called "Spanish Deluxe" close to the Spanish steps, got it thru VRBO.

 

Hi, I'd need to check. What dates are you in Rome.

[W and W]

hi - just curious - which place are you staying at in Rome? we are also going in middle of September and staying at one called "Spanish Deluxe" close to the Spanish steps, got it thru VRBO.

 

 

Hi there, yes I believe they're the ones we've booked for 12th - 15th September. (Hope yours are different dates :)) The apartments look very nice. Hope you have a great stay and a lovely cruise.

 

Wayne

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are looking for a similar type of rental for three couples in Rome prior to our October 2017 Jewel cruise. We are currently searching VRBO mostly. We have already booked a villa in Tuscany for 4 couples post cruise for that same trip through VRBO. It looks beautiful, has great reviews and the owner has been very responsive. That is important to me.

 

We have also booked an apartment for just us in Barcelona for four nights for this October. It is my first VRBO experience. Our travel companions found the apartment. They have another apartment in the same building with the same owner. My concern there is that the owner had us pay the deposit via credit card, but wants cash for the remainder once we arrive. On retrospect I would have not booked this one for that reason. But, we have also have a tour arranged through them and they have been very responsive and have good reviews, so we are taking our chances and going with them. Hopefully, we will have a good experience to report!:eek:

Edited August 16, 2016 by Sunny AZ Girl

[Softball20]

We are looking for a similar type of rental for three couples in Rome prior to our October 2017 Jewel cruise. We are currently searching VRBO mostly. We have already booked a villa in Tuscany for 4 couples post cruise for that same trip through VRBO. It looks beautiful, has great reviews and the owner has been very responsive. That is important to me.

 

We have also booked an apartment for just us in Barcelona for four nights for this October. It is my first VRBO experience. Our travel companions found the apartment. They have another apartment in the same building with the same owner. My concern there is that the owner had us pay the deposit via credit card, but wants cash for the remainder once we arrive. On retrospect I would have not booked this one for that reason. But, we have also have a tour arranged through them and they have been very responsive and have good reviews, so we are taking our chances and going with them. Hopefully, we will have a good experience to report!:eek:

 

I don't think you need to worry about that. With the credit card deposit you know that the booking is secure. He/she may just want the cash upon arrival as it will save him/her the credit card fees they pay through their VRBO account. Up until a couple weeks ago we rented a condo here in SC through VRBO/HomeAway and Flip Key. We didn't take cash, but we obviously paid the merchant fees to take credit cards. I looked at is as a cost of doing business. In any event, sounds like a great trip you have planned.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I don't think you need to worry about that. With the credit card deposit you know that the booking is secure. He/she may just want the cash upon arrival as it will save him/her the credit card fees they pay through their VRBO account. Up until a couple weeks ago we rented a condo here in SC through VRBO/HomeAway and Flip Key. We didn't take cash, but we obviously paid the merchant fees to take credit cards. I looked at is as a cost of doing business. In any event, sounds like a great trip you have planned.

 

Thank you for the reassurance. That is exactly what the owner said, that she was already paying VRBO so much that she didn't want to incur any additional fees. As I said, she has been very responsive.

[W and W]

We are looking for a similar type of rental for three couples in Rome prior to our October 2017 Jewel cruise. We are currently searching VRBO mostly. We have already booked a villa in Tuscany for 4 couples post cruise for that same trip through VRBO. It looks beautiful, has great reviews and the owner has been very responsive. That is important to me.

 

We have also booked an apartment for just us in Barcelona for four nights for this October. It is my first VRBO experience. Our travel companions found the apartment. They have another apartment in the same building with the same owner. My concern there is that the owner had us pay the deposit via credit card, but wants cash for the remainder once we arrive. On retrospect I would have not booked this one for that reason. But, we have also have a tour arranged through them and they have been very responsive and have good reviews, so we are taking our chances and going with them. Hopefully, we will have a good experience to report!:eek:

 

 

Hi Sunny AZ.

For our booking (through Flipkey) the owner wanted a 10% deposit by bank transfer or PayPal. Then half of the remainder 2 weeks before arrival. The rest to be paid in cash on arrival. There's also a tourist tax of 3.5 euros per person per night. I'll give you an honest review when I get back, if you can hang on for a few more weeks. :)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Hi Sunny AZ.

For our booking (through Flipkey) the owner wanted a 10% deposit by bank transfer or PayPal. Then half of the remainder 2 weeks before arrival. The rest to be paid in cash on arrival. There's also a tourist tax of 3.5 euros per person per night. I'll give you an honest review when I get back, if you can hang on for a few more weeks. :)

 

Thank you! Enjoy the Harmony. I am anxious to see how you like her.

[Pushkin]

Hi Andrea. We don't go till the middle of September. However the apartments look great. They're 50 yds from the Spanish steps, each bedroom is en-suite . and there's an extra room with a sofa bed, so I guess it can be a 5 bed apartment. The lady who I've been in touch with has been very good and has arranged the transfer from the airport. I can send send you a link to the apartments if you wish.

 

Wayne. :)

 

Thanks, Wayne. email is awilliams at zoomtown dot com.