I thought I had posted this, but can't find it. A couple years ago, when another poster talked about this apartment and I looked at the website, I remarked "this seems too good to be true". I was attacked for that, supposedly indicating I didn't believe her or was questioning her honesty. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but this year we did rent the apartment.

http://www.permessovenezia.com/index.htm
(note: select SanMarco when you get to the home page to see the actual apartment)

So was it too good to be true? Well, actually the price had gone up a bit since it was first posted, so our week there actually cost us 128.50 euro per night (around $160 a night). But it was really rather splendid.
The location was wonderful, quite near St. Marks with a couple upscale shops in the ground floor of this building and some offices in much of the rest of it. The entrance was indeed grand, and we preferred walking up those spectacular red carpeted stairs to taking the elevator up the one flight.
The apartment is NOT for anyone wanting to cook, which is fine for us. The kitchen is shown in a picture. Not really a kitchen, but a cabinet that opens up to reveal a tiny refrigerator, a microwave, and a small sink. That was fine for us. There were two baths -- one on the ground floor and a second one on the sleeping level. The toilet in the upstairs one was one of those "ecology" models which forbids putting any toilet paper in them. We mainly used the downstairs one. But both showers were nice, lots of pressure, and lots of hot water.
The sleeping loft was fine. The bed was comfortable, although it was only a foot or so off the floor. At least there was ample room on each side of it for getting in and out. And there was a comfortable sofa in the room as well. There was a sort of bridge/hallway from the sleeping loft to the bathroom which included a step up and a day bed which made a great place to lay out our clothing as the closet was downstairs. Unfortunately that step was also in line with a dropped ceiling beam. I can't remember the number of times we both cracked our skulls on that beam forgetting to duck as we passed under it. The stairs up to the loft are very odd and very steep. Actually they are done in half widths of wider steps. When you go up, you must start with your right foot on step number one because the right side is wider, then put your left foot on step number two which as a wider left side. Does that make sense? It sounds odd, but it was very easy to get used to -- and still better than a ladder sort of stairs I've seen to some lofts. They were also polished wood and I learned immediatly not to attempt them wearing socks and no shoes!
The overall feel was wonderful with nice furnishings and a wonderful huge antique table to use as a desk. There are two air conditioning units. We only used one which we had to keep turning down as it was more than ample even during the very hot weather we were having. It's a busy part of San Marco, yet we weren't bothered by noise. There are no views really, and the white draperies pretty much remained closed for privacy as other buildings are pretty close, but diffused light through the fabric keep it from being dark or gloomy.

Would I firmly recommend it to others? Only with the caution about the stairs and the low beam upstairs, and with the comment about the lack of a kitchen. Would I stay there again myself? ABSOLUTELY.

My recollection is that you got into that "too good to be true" argument with another poster who can no longer post here, and who has never set foot in that apartment. Although I'm sure s/he will come back under another name to rebut that statement. I never indicated that you were questioning my honesty. Glad you enjoyed the apartment.

Hello Neopolitan,

I remember reading about it back then and thought the apartment looked very nice. Happy to hear you enjoyed it. When were you in Venice? We were there for a first time visit in July and, although we enjoyed it and were glad we went, I have to say I prefer Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. You never know - we might go back sometime and would definitely consider this apartment. Thanks for sharing this info.

Thank you, Neopolitan, for this very excellently detailed review.

I have never heard of a toilet that forbids paper. That would seem a bit awkward for those of us who need to use the facilities in the night, having to negotiate those stairs while half-asleep.

Thank you for your candid opinions. It is much appreciated.

We were there the second week of June this summer, after a week in Rome and four days in Bellagio. That covers the Italian part of this year's trip.
It was our fourth trip to Venice, our second one for a week's apartment rental. I'm not tired of it yet, but I think I'd have to say I prefer Rome as well.

As to the toilet not allowing paper -- what you do is put the "used" paper in a plastic lined wastebasket. This is not all that unusual. In fact just a day or two ago I saw a post about a similar toilet in a rental. And they are quite common on boats or in remote mountain cabins. I'd just prefer to "flush" so if paper was involved, we'd go downstairs.