cristina's mother met us on time at the rialto mercato pier. apartment is just a few minutes walk away (seemed much longer the first time). she gave us tips about where to visit and eat. we had an unfortunate mishap near the end of our trip where one person in our group ended up in the emergency room. cristina and her mom came over around midnight (!!), helped contact the paramedics (they arrive by boat), and walked me to the hospital. such great hosts. on the other plus side, the hospital is spectacular and used to be a 15th century church.
unit is spacious, modern, very comfortable, and looks like the pictures. has a washer and air conditioning. we experienced *some* similar problems with the air conditioning working inconsistently but overall was fine. not significant enough to complain about as noted in other reviews. unit is convenient to everything. water bus to the airport is just across the bridge.
would stay again the next time we are in venezia.