FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Upscale Apartment Rental in Rome Trastavere
Old Jun 24, 2012, 2:44 pm
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sk3
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: LAX
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Posts: 2,741
Originally Posted by dlerner
Any recommendations for a two week stay in May? Just two of us, but would like very comfortable, 100 sq meters or more, lots of light, terrace. Furniture a few steps up from Ikea. If walk up, not more than two flights of steps.
Just noticed that the guy who rents the Airbnb apt linked above has another Trastevere listing - and it's 106 sq meters with a terrace, and seems to be light filled -which fills your requirements:
http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/230555

I've become a recent fan of Airbnb for a few reasons. The main downside is that you're fully charged at the time of booking but the upside is that you're charged in USD (Airbnb is an American company out of San Francisco) and currently exchange rates are terrific so if you booked now you'd be locking in a favorable rate (but of course who knows what state the Eurozone will be in next May). So you can earn miles/points using your cc and avoid the typical hassle of having to pay in cash upon arrival. I've been looking over their Rome listings, and owners pick their cancellation policy and booking policies (the listings above have the "Strict" policy, but I've seen many good listings with "Flexible" or "Moderate" policies, no cleaning fees or security deposits required). I like that in the event of problems I'm dealing with an American company. I've emailed with them about my stay next year, specifically concerned with what happens if I have to cancel and how subsequent currency fluctuations would factor in. I was told that Airbnb absorbs the profit or loss stemming from the currency exchange rate fluctations between the time of booking and 24 hours after you check in (which is when the apartment owner receives his money). So for instance if today I were to book an apartment that had a total rate of €2,000 then my cc would be charged $2,514. And the owner is thus guaranteed to receive €2,000 regardless of the current exchange rate when I arrive and if I cancel a listing that had a "Flexible" or "Moderate" cancellation policy then I'd receive the $2,514 back on my cc - regardless of the exchange rates on the date of cancellation. And I like that you receive a clear and detailed receipt/invoice that's in USD - so in the event you need to file a claim with your Trip Insurance you don't have to worry about the usual ambiguity of trying to recoup costs which are listed in Euros.

I also like that the site is set up so that you can easily ask questions to prospective hosts and I like the way the reviews are set up. I'd want to pick a place with many good reviews of course, but I also like that you can get a feel of who the reviewers are by looking at their other reviews, etc (much like how I can get a feel here whether to value someone's opinion or not).

I've seen Airbnb mainly suggested for budget travelers, as an alternative to hostels and couch surfing - but in looking over their listings for Rome I'm seeing alot of very nice options (like the 2 linked above) and many others more affordable but certainly not hostel equivalent.

I didn't mean to stray from your topic - but I've been looking at the agencies with Rome rentals, and also VRBO, etc, and I've found Airbnb to offer the best booking policies and safeguards, and like I said, I've recently become their fan.

Good luck with your search!

(On another note, I just saw a screening of Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love" - Rome looked gorgeous but the movie was a disappointment compared with "Midnight in Paris" - but locations in Trastevere figure prominently, as well as in Monti, and of course the more usually filmed areas, so for that it's fun to see).

Last edited by sk3; Jun 24, 2012 at 3:10 pm
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