Going with my job to Venice in June for the Biennale. Rather short notice, but does anyone know of apartments that accomodate 4 people (will need 2) for 2 weeks? Location near San Marco preferable. Also, will need 2 hotel rooms nearby. Any help will be very appreciated.
Thanks,
Sarah

Scanmike-I would suggest you get in contact with Denise of venicerentals.com. She is an American married to a Venetian who rents apartments, no hidden fees or costs, and she can do stock it with groceries, give you cell phone, and do many other things you may need. I would start with her, and then
try another company recommended by an American ex-pat I know in Venice-she knows the owner, Liviana, and the flats look lovely:

luxrest-venice.com/

Dear Girlspytravel,

I wrote to the contact number at venicerentals.com. Is this the best way to get in touch with Denise? I also took a look at the other site you indicated. The places look fabulous. Would you happen to know if they give discountd rates for rentals over 1 week? I will call on Monday. Any other info I could have beforehand would be fantastic. Thanks so much,
Sarah

Hello scanmike,

You might try the Residence Corte Grimani. I've stayed there a couple times and loved it. Others here have also used them. And they'll definitely accommodate 4 people. Great staff, superb location (literally 1 minute walk to San Marco).

cortegrimani.com

Happy travels!

Sarah, I've always just emailed Denise from the email address noted on the website. She is very prompt about answering emails. Just bear in mind the time difference between where you are and Venice.

I am another fan of Venice Rentals and have worked with Denise and Maurizio twice now on apartments there. I will use them for future visits, too.

Scanmike-by all means, try for the "sconto." (discount)

Statia is right for Venice rentals, just email Denise-she'll respond immediately, but I can pretty much tell you she won't be offering discounts for 7 day rentals, I don't think she ever does, however, ask anyway!

The same for luxrest-the problem is you will be there in high season, since everyone wants to be in Venice then, demand for apartments is at an all time high, and 100 percent hotel occupancy for Venice during high season is not at all uncommon. But in low season, discounts for seven days are very common- ask anyway!

Sarah: I posted this on another thread for Lina, concerning renting apartments in Venice, so you might find it useful as well:

Author: Girlspytravel
Date: 03/11/2007, 04:35 am
Okay, since I always rent apartments in Venice, and I am familiar with most of the agencies and their inventory, (and most use the same real estate database of apts. btw) I took a look at this site, and here are my observations:

1. Although the rates per night for two persons look relatively reasonable, it says on a lot of the apts. that the only services provided are "linens"- you therefore need to send emails asking the following questions:

1. Is electricity/gas/water included in the stay?
(doesn't look like it is, and that could add up for a week or more stay)

2. What about a final cleaning fee at the end of the stay? (this can be as much as 70-80 Euros)

3. What type of security deposit, if any, is required? (a lot of Venice rental agencies require a 400-500 Euro damage deposit, which is returned to you at the end of your stay, minus cleaning fees, and any ADDITIONAL fees which they may tack on, and not bother to tell you about, unless you ask beforehand.

A few of the apts. I looked at on the site look small (around 35-40 sq. meters-which is around 350-400 sq. feet) which is okay, but you want to ask how large the apt. is, i.e., how many sq. meters, and then go online to a site that converts square meters to square feet. I also noticed that many of the apartments are located OUTSIDE the 6 "sestiere" or districts, of Venice, and are located in other parts of the Veneto-so make sure the apt. is within the historical center of Venice, if that is what you want.

Also, when I rent an apt. in Venice it MUST have a washing machine-I use my washing machine all the time there, and would not rent one without, so if that is important to you, then make sure you ask about that as well. Ask also if the apt. has tv, satellite, dvd, stereo, etc.-there is so little info. on the site about the apts. themselves that you need to ask about all of the amenities that are important to you beforehand, since you cannot assume that such things as a t.v. or stereo are included, unless you find out that it is.

In sum, Linawood, the apts. look fine, some of them have great little balconies, which is a big selling point for me -however, there are a lot more questions you need to be asking, b/c that rate that is quoted on the website is NOT all there is, and you need to ferret out ALL the hidden fees first. And note also, do you want a ground floor apt.? I personally don't like ground floor apts., because they usually (but certainly not always) have less light, and your view is not very good-however, on the plus side, you may have an outdoor garden/terrace area, so that is a bonus.

My suggestion is to ask more questions, get more answers, and look at alternatives, and I would strongly suggest looking at vrbo.com. I'm telling you, when you deal directly with the owner, you can get all kinds of discounts, sometimes just for being last minute, plus the owner or broker for the owner usually has a lot of information about the apt. on the website already, and my experience has been that the owners are very quick to respond by email as well.

Generally speaking, when you rent from the owner or broker for the owner directly, you won't have the kind of fees associated with renting an apt. that a rental agency will charge, so it saves you money to go vrbo.com. I can tell you I've had great success with apts. in Venice by using this site, but I have also used venicerentals.com, which is owned by an American, Denise, and her apts. have no hidden fees, everything is all included. So you might want to check out the website, and email her for a listing of her apts.

Whichever way you go, there is absolutely nothing like renting an apt. in Venice to get a sense of the true Venetian experience, and there are so many great apts. to choose from, just make sure you ask all the right questions beforehand to avoid any unwelcome surprises in terms of hidden fees or user costs.

Another vote for venicerentals. Denise is great... I've rented from them on my last two visits, and could not ask for better service. Very up-front about all the costs (no "last cleaning fees", etc.).

Given that time of year, ask for a fan...the AC is pretty weak by US standards! We were there in Sept, and the AC didn't do much for us, but having a fan to keep the air moving was a lifesaver.

Anne

Anne-I think it depends on what apt. you're renting! The apts. I've rented in the summertime in Venice have had excellent a/c-although I'm not a great fan of a/c, when I turned the unit on, it was not under-powered by any means. Another apt. I had had a portable a/c unit, which you could move from room to room, but that was too complicated for me. Generally speaking, the apts. I've rented have had very good a/c units-and that is especially important in June, when the OP will be there, so it is something to find out before renting, that's for sure.

Also, make sure you understand that if you open the windows in June in Venice, that is going to let various bugs in, and they are of the biting variety, so keep that in mind...

We (a group of 6) just came back from Venice. We really liked our apartment because it was slightly away from the crowds yet walkable to San Marco square. Just around the corner was a main street area where you can get fresh fruit and find good restaurants. Good luck!

http://www.veniceapartments.org/html/celsi1.html