Everything about this place was absolutely perfect!

Our flight got in late, with us getting out of a water taxi* around 8 or 8:30 pm, and Roberta came to meet us. She's extremely friendly and helpful with exceptional English, which was great because we barely have a handful of words in Italian. She also didn't charge us a fee for coming to meet us after hours, which we've heard some other airbnb places do.

(*The water taxi is 110€ from the airport, by the way, but worth every cent.)

We met in front of a nearby hotel, as it was easiest for canal-taxi access. And it was a very short walk from the apartment. It's in a residential area, so much quieter than the tourist-trod streets that converge on Piazza San Marco. But, at the same time, very close to everything you'll want to see that first morning. We found great shops and restaurants in all directions, plus a great grocery store, etc.

The apartment is spacious, elegant and well-equipped. It's actually a lot larger than in the photos, with a lovely small balcony and a canal view from the kitchen and main bedroom. Even though we wound up eating out for almost every meal, we like to cook and loved that the large kitchen came with all the wine glasses, selection of pots and pans, olive oil and herbs and spices. That's always a sign of a thoughtful host.

By the way, even if you don't eat toast try the toaster, it comes with a fun surprise. Especially if you're traveling with kids.

You'll see what I mean.

We didn't watch TV while there, but it's got a big one with hundreds of channels plus a super-fast wifi connection. The latter was handy for uploading photos from walks around Venice and hunting down opening hours and new restaurants. Though, to note, Roberta gave us lots of good recommendations while showing us around the apartment.

The beds were European, which tends to mean firm, and yet also nice and large. There's also air conditioning, which we didn't need to use as the weather was spring-like and gorgeous while we were there. We slept with the windows open which, important to note, have pull-down screens which is a great perk and you WANT to use. Venice does have some mosquitos.

The bathroom has a generously sized shower and flash-heating for the water, so you won't run out if everybody showers. It also has two toilets -- one in the outer room and one in the room with the shower -- and two sinks. So nobody is stuck waiting while someone else gets ready for the day.

Overall, we really couldn't have asked for a better place to stay. We just left there yesterday and our kids -- ages 9 and 11 -- already want to go back!