This was our first visit to Venice and our stay here was magical! Riding on the Grand Canal from the train station to the apartment, I actually cried a little bit - to see this beautiful city in person is breath-taking. In addition, the apartment is lovely and our family of four (2 teenage sons, my husband and I) loved every minute of our stay. It was such a treat to stay in a beautiful local place - gorgeous Murano glass chandeliers, exquisite furnishings, a well stocked kitchen and lots of space. It was an extra treat when Elena told us that the apartment across the canal was Vivaldi's place! (We played the Four Seasons on our phones to really get int he spirit of the place!) Prior to our arrival, we had excellent communication with Elena and she answered any questions we had very promptly. Elena was there to meet us when we arrived and gave us an extremely thorough tour of the place. Her local recommendations and hand drawn map were wonderful! We had a very nice dinner at Marco Polo and loved the local cappuccino place just over the bridge. The location of the apartment is perfect - just 10 - 15 minutes from all of the main sights! Elena told us about the local water taxi dispatcher which is just next door. We rang the bell and made our pick up reservation the night before and the driver arrived exactly on time to get us to the airport. The cost is a flat fee of 120 euros, but when you have a lot of luggage and are not familiar with the city, we found this to be the best way to get to the airport! One more thing to mention...we visited in the summer and the air conditioning in the apartment is outstanding!! We hope to visit again some day!!