Venice Apartment Rental
 

We are two couples who will be in Venice for 5 nights in June. Due to the very high hotel prices, we're considering renting an apartment. I found one that sounds promising on viewsonvenice.com, the Ca Dei Nomboli apartment. Has anyone used this company and/or stayed in this apartment? Any other suggestions? We need two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Take a look at vrbo.com.

DRJ, I did look at vrbo. It was very overwhelming. Rented an excellent apartment in Paris through vrbo but can't seem to find anything suitable for Venice.

Getting two BR and 2 Ba can be difficult in Europe so you're lucky to find one. We have rented 3 br to get 2 baths for us and another couple just to get the second bath. Never heard of this agency so can't help there.

Thanks. We'd be willing to do that as well.

We used this agency several years ago and were very satisfied. They seem to have several 2BR, 2 bath apartments.

ssb100, thanks for your response. Did you have any problems with viewsonvenice? Was the apartment as depicted on the website? Any payment problems?

We stayed here in June of this year. http://www.cavecchiopozzo.com/
We were very pleased - there are canals on two sides and it is just lovely inside. The apartment is the childhood home of the owner and she is also a licensed tour guide (we used her and she was fabulous). I will add that one bedroom is a large bed and there are "two" other bedrooms, one with two twins and one with one twin so I am not sure if that would work for you. The location was minutes from St. Mark's. Good luck.

Views on Venice and Truly Venice are very well regarded agencies. I love that apartment, It is also listed on VRBO for the same price. I have had it bookmarked for months! What I like about it is that the bedrooms and bathrooms are "separate but equal". That is, one couple isn't getting stuck in a bedroom with bunk beds or something!

The neighborhood is fantastic.

This apartment has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths - http://www.homeaway.co.uk/p811212

It is a REALLY nice apartment - but it looks like it is booked up the first two weeks of June so maybe it would not work for you.

As stated above Views on Venice and Truly Venice are both excellent agencies so you've got a few options.. happy planning.

Thanks to all of you for your advice and suggestions. I'm relieved to hear that Views on Venice is a reputable agency. Assuming our traveling companions agree, I think we'll go with their apartment

I rented this apartment (http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p333948 ) two years ago and then again last year for my family. The apartment is as depicted and very lovely. I highly recommend it.

Viewsonvenice has been around for awhile. Some people on the internet have posted good experience with them. I find their apartments overpriced, but that's the case with most agency inventories. Somebody has to pay for agency expenses.

I personally feel that renting through an agency is problematic, unless the agency offers user reviews or you develop a rapport with a specific agent. Without customer feedback, it's impossible to know if the agency ad represents the truth. From my experience in Venice, so many rental properties have something to hide. The biggest problem is mold and mildew, or worse, a serious sewer gas smell issue. Then there's the issue of noise.

Saving money on decent housing in Venice is really a challenge. The 120 Euro a night apts all seem questionable, and it's almost impossible to find anything cheaper. You really have to wonder about the few places that are priced cheaper. Some apts are so dark, you might as well be in a cave. Other places get flooded in winter and no agent will tell you the truth about that. Watch out for the rentals that try to pawn off a sofa-bed as the primary sleep source. Not to mention, some of these apartments are in awful locations. Almost every ad I read says "close to San Marco." In the meantime, the studio apartment with the sofa-bed is located in Mestre. Venice can be funny and frustrating.

Wesley, have you seen the renter submitted reviews on slowtrav.com? Its a good resource -
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/list.asp?r=Venice

There are reviews for both Views on Venice and Truly Venice rented apartments there, among many others.

I have rented a lot of apartments and haven't had too hard of a time finding good places in the 100-120 range but you absolutely must book early.

I have seen those reviews. I love the Slow Trav site. But there aren't many reviews of the same apartment. Trusting one or two people's opinion with the vacation roof over your head doesn't sound like fun to me. And too many ST reviews are too old. I know it doesn't often seem so, but things change in Venice quite quickly. All it takes is one bad acqua alta to ruin a perfectly fine apartment. I've seen that damage firsthand.

Wesley, I feel the opposite. That it's better to rent from an agency, a reliable, recommended agency, as opposed to an individual renter. With an agency another eye (and nose) has checked out the place. And if some unforeseen problem occurs at the rental (plumbing problems, etc), they have a list of other options. In the end the agent's business, his/her livelihood, is on the line.

With a single renter, you never know for sure if they even own the place. Or if the photos are of the actual apartment. At least historically, a landlord on VRBO and Homeaway was able to screen and reject negative reviews. So you can't rely on the reviews at the advertising website.

I'm willing to pay a little extra for a good agency. As a kind of insurance upfront.

bookmarking

"I'm willing to pay a little extra for a good agency. As a kind of insurance upfront."

That's fair. I have used agencies in the past with no complaints. Since I've been renting for a very long time, I prefer to deal with owners.

Again, thanks for the opinions on agencies v. private owners. We are not looking for a 120 Euro a night place. We're just looking to spend less than $400+ per night per room for 2 couples. Splitting the cost of a more expensive apartment 2 ways seems a lot better than what we've been finding for a nice hotel room.If anyone can recommend a decent hotel that's not in Mestre or near the train station for @ $300 per night, I'm interested. Otherwise, I think we're going the apartment route.

This is the part of my trip to Italy and Switzerland that I am having the most trouble with too. Hotel or apartment in Venice. There are 7 of us and I'd love any recommendations.

mary, why don't you start your own thread? Click on Start a new topic in orange on the upper left of this page.

We are using Views on Venice and renting the Ca' Dell'Artista apartment. Ca' Dei Nomboli came in second place. I have used vrbo for lots of other places, but for Venice, it just wasn't working for me.

Thanks, wekewoody. I looked at Ca' Dell' Artista but we needed showers in both bathrooms. Love the terrace, tho. I agree that vrbo wasn't working for Venice. When are you going? We should compare notes when we return.

We recently (September) worked with Maurizio and Denise at Venicerentals.com

It was interesting, because there wasn't a list of rentals to pick through. Instead, I told them in detail what I wanted, when I wanted it, and what price I could pay.

They sent me back a few choices and I took the least expensive.

Honestly we couldn't have been more pleased. Love the apartment, service was above and beyond, very friendly, just great. I'm happy to have the chance to recommend venicerentals.com

I've been around here awhile and have rented a lot. I seldom give unqualified praise, but we got a very nice place at a good price.

In May we found a nice apartment in Venice from a private owner through this website. http://www.homelidays.co.uk/ Several years earlier we used this agency and were happy with their service. http://veniceapartments.org/

Have you also checked Owners Direct and Homeaway?

We were just lookingfor something for two people though, so I have no idea what you could find for two couples or larger groups.

We stayed in this apartment in Fall of 2011.

http://italy.worldwide-accom.com/ven...1#.UoUrZ5Sgn6U

only downside is that you climb a lot of stairs... but justifies that extra serving of gelato!

Hi Lisa,

We will be there 16 June to 21 June. I was THIS close to doing Nomboli, but I really wanted to be in Dorsoduro, even though the location of Nomboli seems excellent as well.

Have fun planning.

Hi wekewoody,

We will just miss you. We are in Venice from June 10-15. We then go to a wine estate outside of Verona for a food and wine tour of Northern Italy. Looking forward to it all.

Hi LisaE,
Where will you go for your wine tour?
In September I stayed with my boyfriend in an apartment in Paris with Halldis http://www.halldis.com/ for 4 nights and it was fantastic! They have apartments also in Venice and Verona, we and another couple are planning to book with them an apartment in Venice for Valentine's day! I'll let you know!

We stayed in one of his 2 apartments in May 2013. Both are on the same floor.
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p879760