Villa Gelsomino Garden in Florence

Felt misled, overcharged, and disappointed. I wouldn’t stay here again

I booked this place for €300 for two nights. A few days later, out of curiosity, I checked the same listing for the same dates and room and saw it was now €120. That felt really unfair. I understand prices can change, but such a drastic difference left me feeling taken advantage of.

After leaving a negative (but honest) review on Booking.com, I was surprised and frankly uncomfortable to receive a message on my personal phone from the property. I didn’t delete my review and shortly after that, I was suddenly charged an extra €80. The reason typically should be “stains” or “food marks,” even though I did not eat anything in the room, and I was even told that everything looked fine when I checked out. I was told that the “AC remote was damaged and the batteries were removed.” I have not heard anything more ridiculous.

To be honest, the whole situation felt retaliatory, like the extra charge was punishment for my review. It left a really bad taste.

And that’s not even considering the stay itself. The rooms were very small, the location wasn’t great, and the breakfast was honestly disappointing. I’ve stayed in a lot of places over the years, and this was by far one of the worst experiences I’ve had.

I’m writing this so other travelers are aware. I wish I had known beforehand, maybe this helps someone else avoid a similar situation.

⸻

The place was clean enough, but there was a noticeable funky smell in the hallway. The provided shampoo, soap, and towels were very basic, so it’s better to bring your own if you can. Breakfast was decent. The location is a bit far from the city center, though there’s a bus stop nearby—just note that weekend service isn’t very frequent. Also, there aren’t any restaurants within walking distance.

Felt misled, overcharged, and disappointed – I wouldn’t stay here again

I booked this place for €300 for two nights. A few days later, out of curiosity, I checked the same listing for the same dates and room — and saw it was now €120. That felt really unfair. I understand prices can change, but such a drastic difference left me feeling taken advantage of.

After leaving a negative (but honest) review on Booking.com, I was surprised and frankly uncomfortable to receive a message on my personal phone from the property. I didn’t delete my review — and shortly after that, I was suddenly charged an extra €80. The reason typically should be “stains” or “food marks,” even though I did not eat anything in the room, and I was even told that everything looked fine when I checked out. I was told that the “AC remote was damaged and the batteries were removed.” I have not heard anything more ridiculous.

To be honest, the whole situation felt retaliatory — like the extra charge was punishment for my review. It left a really bad taste.

And that’s not even considering the stay itself. The rooms were very small, the location wasn’t great, and the breakfast was honestly disappointing. I’ve stayed in a lot of places over the years, and this was by far one of the worst experiences I’ve had.

I’m writing this so other travelers are aware. I wish I had known beforehand — maybe this helps someone else avoid a similar situation.