We purchased a week off an RCI friend, alhough it was definately made out to be a bit better than we found, it definately fit the bit.. Our family of 5 (3 teenagers) and the inlaws
Pro's - options for groups our size in europe are few and far between an $$ (this turned out to be approx 200 Can/night, a bargain). If you have transportation, this place is excellent. The subway is about 20 minutes away, parking is available for a euro, no issue finding spots. Grocery stores in the area are reasonable, approximately 10 minutes away too. The pool/spa were a welcome relief from the heat as was the AC in each bedroom & living areas. Staff were helpful, communication was easy. The first day everyone arrives (saturday) they have an informal gathering where they warn you about naples, give tips to see rome etc, shopping and the like. The talk is in english and italian. If you go, please don't talk during the italian bits, it bothered us as I can pick up some of it and it was rude to the locals...at this event they serve appetizers and drinks (watch it the punch has a kick...) which you should really consider partaking as everything will be closed food-wise at the conclusion of the session...They have a safe in the unit, we used it, no issues for our group, probably too many of us to bother with, but its nice to not worry about it given the dicey appearance of the metro you'll need to take to get into town - who spray paints the inside and outside of a complete train? *** Parking is free in town on Sundays, no permit is needed - don't consider it any other day of the week, I believe they will fine or tow you. The town's empty sunday except tourists so drive, it will give you a base to leave stuff during your travels.
I leased a crazy tall minivan, no choice, 192 cm in height, it fit here in the underground, only one of a very few undergrounds Iwas able to get into
gated compound, loosely enforced but secure never the less
cons
Crazy hard to find - we had a GPS with European settings and still - input the golf course, the club is immediately next door, asking for directions with English/French proved near impossible as this is off the beaten track
Many people are upset with the service fee of 35 EU/ wk per adult guest, whether you use the facility or not. I was the only adult in our group who did, but 2 of our teenagers did, I think we paid 15 eu for each regardless (ie. 3/7 used it). Again, I factor it into the overall room cost, so be it. It does close Sunday so really given that you arrive saturday (after it closes) and Sunday is a no go, you get 5 days at best...
Our dishwasher didn't work, it worked but didn't clean explaining the dishes we got at the beginning, we hand washed everything upon arrival. They give you one dishwaher tab and will sell you more of course.. Use dish soap and forgo the unit which doesn't work properly anyhow. They supply you with ample crockery for 7 in the 3 bedroom unit.
Tons of stairs, dents in the walls, the main floor shower didn't work properly ,again, not the end of the world but odd for a 4 star unit, wife wasn't sold, but I was in holiday mode, lifes too short to bother & everything worked upstairs
Annoyingly, they do have a laundry option in the parking lot, but it was ridiculously expensive, like 15 eu for a wash and another 15 for the dryer. You've go to be kidding, no wonder no one used it. Washing in the unit is possible but they do not allow you to hang anything on the balconies or outside, even in the crazy heat, again, one can work around it
Internet - none... I mean none nearby, you must go into town really, we used cafe's around the main train station, cheap and convenient - if you are in a pickle the staff at the front may be nice enough to email a message to let family know you've arrived ok, same deal with transferring a call - no charge - after hours its automated - all your friends need to know is the room number provided in the email ;)

The resorts appearance was fine and clean. I am voicing a concern though, as I found the pricing of necessities, (taxis, laundry, shuttles, towels etc) extremely high and a tool used to gauge the guests financially.

The taxis called are not always actual taxis but apparently someone's family member that gets called upon. These service's fees when compared to the same ones in town are much higher...to the tune of 30 percent.

In addition the shuttle supplied by the timeshare has two scheduled pickups from the resort and two scheduled pickups from town. The pick ups from the resort are at 9am and 1 pm, which are adequate. The two from town are at 4pm and 7pm. This little practice making it impossible to have dinner in town and enjoy the late evenings with all they have to offer. Again, the staff profits from this, since guests are now forced to choose from "the few restaurants that they have a contract with in the adjacent town" OR catch one of “their” taxi for FIFTY Euros into town. The guest will be pleasantly surprised but at the same time aggravated when the exact same ride from town costs 35 Euros, including tip.

The meals at these restaurants were nice but expensive when compared to same type of establishments in town. Not to mention the one restaurant where the meal is brought out without your consent as to the content of the meal. This method of service, although different was never mentioned by the Resort Staff and therefore not a pleasant surprise.

There is a grocery store about three minutes away. The charge to have one of "their taxis" deliver you and pick you up? TWENTY EUROS. Ludicrous. A shuttle should be made available for this necessity.

The Resort has also established the practice of completely changing your linen for 35 Euros during your stay. If by some chance the guest reads this, in their "informative notebook" they must cancel this or it will be automatically done and charged.

The shuttle to the airport, another opportunity to gauge guests and timeshare owners. I was able to book a shuttle from the airport to the resort, with an extremely friendly driver in a clean, new large van. The cost? 60 Euros...without issue of any sort.

The resort, when requested for a shuttle, gave us a giant van, simply because we requested the vehicle fit four fifty pound bags and three women all under 150 pounds. The vehicle provided fit a family of six and a few other friends, along with full luggage. It was enormous. The cost was a huge surprise to us at almost 100 Euros at the airport. The driver took the hundred euro bill and walked off with it without looking back as we ran after him while he jumped in the drivers seat.

The pool and restaurant was not open Sat through Monday. Hence the use of the pool was not applicable, as the rest of the days we were in town. However, there is a 35Euro charge that is forced upon each guest, regardless of amenity availability.

I should mention at this time, that the restaurant/bar is a cafeteria looking room with bananas, winnies, eggs and bread. For this luxury, the resort charges additional money. Again, this place is only open during hours convenient to them and not the guests.

The shuttle was not available to go into town on Saturday or Sunday, so again, forced to use "their" services.

One woman was always available, Mara. She was the only person you could find at her post during her hours of work. The others would disappear hours at a time.

In all, the guest service are far below the "silver and gold" awards they have received by RCI. They added much stress to a vacation that should have been void of such negativity.

RCI has the responsibility to their timeshare holders and guests to control and eliminate practices such as these. However, they have chosen to ignore what is going on and instead award these resorts. Extremely poor management and quality control by RCI for this resort. I am also afraid that if no action is taken by RCI, this situation will only worsen ruining many other vacations.

mzap69@yahoo.com

Based on other reviews I had read here, I was sceptical about our reservations, and in fact, almost canceled them. I am very glad we did not. The accomodations more than met our needs.

There were four in our party & we had a three bedroom unit. Our apartment was on two levels. There was a bedroom, bathroom, a living room and a small kitchen downstairs. Upstairs were two bedrooms, a bathroom and a stting area. There were balconies on both levels. Though it wasn't as large & modern as some resorts, it was so much more space than we would have had in the city.

The furniture and bedding were a litle dated, but we are not spoiled (too much!) so we were OK with that.

We did rent a car. We compared the price of the shutlle back & forth to the train station, plus organized tours we would have had to take if we did not have a car, and decided it would be worth our while to have a vehicle. We only drove into Rome on one day, Sunday. The other days we drove to the train station & took the B line in to town. It was very easy. We enjoyed the freedom the car allowed. We took day trips to Tivoli, Ostia Antica and Tuscany. (I must warn that you need an experienced driver. Driving in Italy is not for the faint of heart!)

The staff at Carpediem was exceptional! Very helpful!

Overall, we were very satisfied!

We booked through the RCI.
Came by car late at night ,was tricky to find the way.(Need more signs on the road).
The hotel is clean,very convinient if you have a car ,so you can go to the Metro and park there "For free"".
Otherwise a shuttle bus is also helpful.
Only 9 stops to center of Rome,
And the extra charge (35 Euros) was worth it,as we get discount for breakfast "Only 3 Euros" , Also used the swimming pool and sawna oftenly.

Great time and wish to go there again.

Hany& Dalia.