We spent three nights in Giuseppe's ground floor apartment in early June, at the end of a fortnight's holiday in Italy. We chose this listing as we wanted to be in an area that was a little bit quieter than the general hustle and bustle of the very touristy centre of Venice, and from this point of view the location was absolutely perfect. Fewer tourists, fewer crowds and a little bit more relaxed - it was a nice area to return to at the end of the day. We've stayed more centrally in Venice on a previous visit, and I much preferred staying this time on Sant'Elena. It would have also been ideally situated for the Biennale had we been interested in this, as the pavillions are only a few minutes' walk away.

It takes about 40 minutes to get from the main Santa Lucia railway station to the accommodation via vaporetto; once at the Sant'Elena vaporetto stop, the flat is less than 5 minutes flat walk away through a park. There are also very easy connections to both the main bus terminus (helpful for our return leg, even very early in the morning) and also very easy access to the Lido, the latter being only one vaporetto stop away.

Giuseppe was a really helpful host and communication was good - before our arrival, he advised on the best route from the station, and then on the day he met us at the Sant'Elena vaporetto stop and walked us to the flat so we didn't have to find it ourselves. He also let us know about the annual Venice Vogalunga boat regatta that was taking place the following day (which we had been completely oblivious about!), and very kindly printed out our airline boarding passes so we didn't need to wander about finding a place to sort this out. All arrangements were fine and he was keen to let us know that he was available (by phone or in person - he lives in an adjacent flat) if we needed him.

The accommodation was as we expected from the listing. Wifi connection was good. It is a nice addition that the flat has a little garden with seating and a table, although we didn't really use this.

There are a couple of nice little restaurants in the immediate vicinity, as well as a small shop; and St Mark's Square is only a 20 minute walk away alongside the lagoon (very scenic by day and romantic at night!), as well as being well connected by vaporetto. The area has a nice atmosphere and seemed safe and secure.