Old Kitchen B&B

Pro Very kind and patient owner. Proximity to MM and the Vatican. Served well and with many nearby bars and restaurants available. Against. The keys to enter the house are retrieved the first time from a door that unlocks with a combination produced on a wheel like that of bicycle locks from 40 years ago. In the evening and in case of presbyopia the process is really complicated: but an electronic keypad? Once you have retrieved the keys you enter the house and then the room. TA ratings valid perhaps until 2018. Those given by people with one or few useful ratings are not credible: they are friends or family. BEWARE!!! Old room. Clean but poorly ventilated. Rotten wooden shutters very difficult to close and open. Splinters in fingers. There are no wardrobes. No mirror. The television is there but there is no way to turn it on or off with the remote control: only by hand. Old and damaged wooden shelves and frames. Two embarrassing bedside tables. Very stained apple green bedspread. Noisy room due to buzz from the street and rooms below. No soundproof windows. The gem: the bathroom is outside. Only from one room, mine, but the bathroom is outside. The bathroom is accessed with the fourth key: one for the building door. One for the BB. One for the room. One for the bathroom. We are close to San Pietro. So we are even more so. External bathroom for exclusive use. But external. Horrible. A washing machine or something similar covered in a blue case probably never washed. A small tilting window overlooking the external balcony. A shower cubicle with very precarious doors. The morning shower interrupts the hot water perhaps due to too much use in the house or building. A coat hanger and a towel warmer: few supports for a bathroom outside the room. The house does not provide courtesy slippers: it is important to say this. Luckily I had sneakers otherwise I would have walked barefoot or in leather shoes. A bathrobe is also useful to be able to move towards the room. The toilet did not bear the sign: sanitized/sanitized, and it is too far away for those who get up at night. Kitchen area: complicated coffee machine without instructions. Impossible to use. The much promised pastry brioches never arrived. However, the fridge offers yoghurt and milk and the pantry offers cereals, biscuits, bread and jams/nutellini. All at a business price. I'm not going back. I don't recommend. ON THE CONTRARY...

Location - Old Kitchen is the perfect B&B if you plan on visiting the Vatican and other sights in the area. It’s just steps away from the Metro and Bus stops and about a 5-minute walk to the Vatican Museums and St.Peters Basilica. The host was on hand when I arrived and explained how everything in the apartment worked. The apartment is on the fourth floor but there is an elevator. There are tons of great restaurants in the area as well as supermarkets and laundromats. Room - The room was quite large and comfortable with an open-storage rack, a television, a safe, two chairs and a small table. There were plug points near the bed (keep in mind that plugs in Italy sometimes differ from the rest of Europe so don’t forget to carry an adapter) The air-conditioning was exceptional. The bathroom was decent sized although the bath area was a bit cramped (but this is an issue all over Italy) Kitchen - The kitchen area is a common area for all guests at the B&B. There’s a fridge, a coffee machine, a kettle & toaster as well as breakfast cereal, tea, coffee, bread, milk, yoghurt and fruit. Fresh croissants are delivered every morning by the bakery nearby and they were delicious. There are also cups, plates and other tableware available for use. Wi-Fi was fast and consistent.

We have just returned from a 4 night stay. Simone, the host, was incredibly welcoming. He gave us great advice about how to get around Rome and where to eat etc. The breakfast, including fresh croissants from the local bakery, was incredible. Simone shopped separately to get non dairy milk for one of us. The room was spacious and comfortable, great shower! The location was ideal for eating and shopping locally or getting the Metro. Thoroughly recommend.