After a lot of looking, I managed to find the most perfect apartment for our 8 night stay in Venice. Everything was extremely well thought out, meaning nothing was missing.
I've visited Venice several times and I'm quite familiar with the area / location of the apartment - the street itself is very quiet, well lit and safe, with a beautiful dead-end of an arch with steps leading into the water. Just one street parallel to the apartment, is one of the most notorious streets in Venice (Fondamenta Misericordia), which is filled with cute bars, cafès and restaurants. It's a very photogenic street with a lot of outdoor seating by the canal. Perfect for brunch, lunch and dinner. Three main ferry stops (with ferries directly to Murano, Burano, Piazzale Roma, Ferrovia, San Marco, Lido as well as Marco Polo airport) are within 10-15 minute walk from the apartment. There are a handful of supermarkets and fruit/veg stores within a 10 minute radius to the apartment.
The apartment itself is drop dead gorgeous - you can see just how much care and attention Marya pays to it. She has impeccable taste in furnishings and interiors, that's evident when you experience her space. I had the pleasure of meeting her for myself and she's just as delightful as her apartment. She's very available and extremely insightful, really going out of her way to make your stay the best possible stay. Fluent in English and Italian, which is nice.
I was on the lookout for something characteristic to Venice while retaining practicality and modernism - which I found in this apartment. The layout is very cosy and the spaces are used up well. It's so beautiful we decided to spend a couple of our evenings indoors.
Snacks, teas and coffees were provided, extra towels and bed linen, wifi and TV's in both rooms (one with x2 HDMI slots - and both connected to Marya's Netflix account), two modern and immaculate bathrooms, good quality body soap/shampoo are provided, three AC systems which are much needed in the Italian heat, comfortable mattresses and pillows, two sets of keys, wellies in case of flooding, umbrellas in case of rain, a lot of storage space and hangers, pegs and hanging lines, a fully functioning kitchen with all the basics (salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pots and pans). You have the exterior wooden window panels which can be closed shut to ensure total blackout, as well as an inner and thick outer lining of the curtains, which can keep the apartment very dark during the morning and throughout the day, if needed.
The pictures on Airbnb are accurate and still didn't manage to do the place justice. If I ever return to Venice, I will not hesitate to contact Marya again. 10/10 Airbnb experience.
Thank you for everything.